The Bones of an Idol
by ballandchain
Summary: Lilia Steiner is a beautiful and talented knight, sworn to be the next General of Alexandria, following in the footsteps of her mother. Unfortunately, her love for a certain prince gets in her way, and neither time nor luck is on her side. R&R, please.
1. IntroductionRevised

Daggertrepe: Hey everyone. I'm writing this story as an experiment. It's an idea I've had for a while, so I hope you all like the idea! Oh, and please be gentle; I haven't written anything in a good while. (Yes, the title was inspired by a New Pornographers song, so I do not own that.)

NOTE: The whole story will be in 3rd person.

**The Bones of an Idol**

"The General is finally going into labor!"

"What? Oh—My!"

"Oh, I hope she is quite alright!"

"The General can handle it. She's tough."

"That's one lucky kid, there."

"I want to see it!"

"I wonder if it's going to be a boy or a girl?"

"It will most definitely be a boy."

"Bet my money on a girl!"

"Sir Adelbert is the father, you know."

"If that child looks like her mother…whew!"

"That baby is going to have the **bones of an idol**."

That was the kind of talk that was going around the small town surrounding the very large castle of Alexandria. The kingdom's once fiercest warrior, General Beatrix, was going into labor. The kingdom roared in surprise. It seemed a bit off-kilter for the General to have conceived at all, and then go through with the birth. Everyone was skeptical of her ability to be a mother, since she was still perceived by many as cold-blooded and merciless, even after peace gained control over Alexandria once more. Beatrix, being very private and quiet, was never blessed with the chance to show her true colors to the people of Alexandria. She was simply misunderstood. But, this soon changed as she temporarily stepped down from knighthood for the safety of her child. She was seen walking around the town of Alexandria with her husband Adelbert Steiner, searching for items for their child. Everyone was shocked at how lovely she looked, what with her flowing maternity dresses and glowing skin, and how warm and kind she acted towards everyone, though she was extremely shy. Queen Garnet had later made a point to the people that Beatrix was only merciless in time of battle. Slowly but surely, they started to understand the true woman that was General Beatrix.

Now, one may ask; "what kind of general gets pregnant while still serving in the army??" This general was a very special general, for she fell in love with the army's captain, Adelbert Steiner. At first they were arch rivals, but they grew to love and cherish each other after they had come to a head with their differences. They had wed in a ceremony overlooked by the finest pastor in the land, and had a lavish, but private wedding thrown by Queen Garnet and King Zidane, contrary to Beatrix and Steiner's wishes for a simpler wedding. The general did not plan to have a child, for she had a duty to fulfill. But all at once, she had started having contractions inside her reproductive area. She was checked by Dr. Tot, and was confirmed to be pregnant. Of course, the general had been shocked. She knew she was young enough to conceive, merely 30, but she did not understand why or how it happened. She knew she didn't have time to be a mother, but she nourished the child inside of her like it was the most important thing in the world, always worried for its safety for many, many reasons. By the time the 9th month of pregnancy rolled around, Beatrix started talking to her husband about what they would do until she was able to fight again. She wouldn't be able to guard the kingdom while nursing a child.

"Do not worry, my love," Steiner lamented her, placing his hand gingerly behind her chestnut locks and kissing her forehead, "the Queen is promoting another soldier from the Alexandria Army to your position—temporarily of course."

The two knights had been inside their large room, complete with one large bed, a window, a bureau, a mirror, and a bathroom. Recently added had been a connected room for their baby, complete with all baby furniture and items needed for an infant.

"I know," Beatrix responded in a raspy, low voice, tired from a full day of carrying around her child, "But I cannot stand this…not being able to fight, that is. I won't be able to stand watching some amateur do the job I'm supposed to be committed to."

Steiner sighed. He backed away from her slightly and slipped her a small smile.

"You have a more important job, my dear."

Beatrix's eyes widened and she looked down at her inflated stomach. She smiled and placed her hands over and under it, rubbing it for the 70th time of the day.

"Yes…I do," She responded, her voice laced with adoration. Steiner walked up to her slowly, embracing her once more.

"The baby should arrive any day now." He said in her ear, slight nervousness in his voice.

"I am fully aware. You are nervous, are you not?"

"I cannot lie. Yes. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I, Adelbert Steiner? A father?" He questioned himself, his brow furrowing and his eyes looking sincerely upset, "Yes, a knight sworn to his duty, but not a father by any means."

"You will make a fine father," Beatrix told him, backing away to take a look at his skeptical face, "trust me."

Steiner rolled his eyes, heading towards the baby's room with a clank in each step. Beatrix followed him, standing behind him as he halted to admire the room.

"Her Highness did a wonderful job in decorating the room," Steiner observed.

"Undeniably. She did a fine job." Beatrix agreed, looking around wistfully.

The walls of the room were of a soft, pastel yellow and the furniture inside were made of the finest wood. Inside the crib were blankets of yellow, and a female doll with yellow hair. Next to the crib was a window with a pale yellow curtain, blowing in a lovely breeze from the slight crack of an opening. The whole room had an essence of peace within it.

"I do wonder," Beatrix trailed off, going back to their room and sitting on the bed, "what sex the child is going to turn out as?"

Steiner turned just slightly to see her figure, and smirked.

"I do believe I encompass a fair sentiment," Steiner stated.

Beatrix gave him an inquiring look.

"What will it be, do you imagine?" She asked him, her voice lusciously soft.

He turned around and clanked over to where she was on the bed, standing over his beautiful wife. The sunset from their window was shining an orange-yellow light on her face, and her reddish-purple eye glowed in anticipation. Her cheeks were red, and her brown curly hair was perfect as always. He groveled in her beauty as her answered her question, for it was somehow related.

"I have this feeling it's going to be a girl," He started, "and she's going to look just like her mother."

Beatrix narrowed her eye and laughed a gentle laugh.

"What would make you assume that, my love?"

He sat on the bed with her at this point, wrapping his arms around her once tiny frame. He looked into her eye with love, and spoke.

"You are so much more gorgeous now than you have ever been, and it's because she-" he cut himself off, patting her stomach, "is so beautiful, that she can only make her mother all the more striking."

Beatrix didn't know how to respond to such a statement. She looked down at her stomach and ran her hands over it again.

"Perhaps you're correct," she pondered, reminiscing what it would be like if her child was a girl.

Not two seconds later, without warning, a fountain of water gushed out of her undergarments and it soaked the area of the bed they were sitting on. Beatrix gasped in horror, and gaped at her husband, who was just as frightened.

"Oh…my…" was all Beatrix could utter, looking into the small eyes of her horrified husband. At once, Steiner picked her up and sprinted out of the room, nosily carrying her to the infirmary, informing the nurse of the latest incident.

"NURSE!!" Steiner yelled, stomping into the room anxiously, jumping up and down, "NURSE!!!!!"

"What do you-

She was cut off by seeing a pregnant Beatrix in his arms, her white gown drenched and her breathing becoming increasingly heavier. She dropped the clipboard in her hand and immediately assisted Steiner in helping her get onto a bed in the other room of the infirmary. Steiner gently put her down onto the feather mattress, laying her down gently onto her bosom, and letting her inch her way down to her back by herself. As soon as they established her into the proper position for labor, they took off her undergarments and covered her with a light blanket. At about this time, a Blutzen, a Knight of Pluto, came into the infirmary, looking for Steiner.

"Hey captain! Kohen said-

Once he realized what was just about he froze.

"C-C-Captain…"

"Stop blubbering, you fool! Head off to acquire the queen!!" Steiner bellowed at him, and he nodded, running away immediately.

"Ugghhh…UGH!" Beatrix screamed out in pain, sweating and delirious. Both Steiner and the nurse could tell that she was trying to hold in her anguish, but could not manage to do so.

"Push, Beatrix, push!!" The nurse told her, resting her hand on her shoulder and putting the other hand under her dress.

"What's going on?" A quiet, soft voice asked. The Queen of Alexandria, ___Garnet_ Til ___Alexandros_ Tribal XVII, waltzed gracefully into the room. When she laid her eyes on the unusual sight of the General and the Captain, she gasped and put her hand to her mouth, backing away.

"No, no, please, come here your majesty!" Steiner insisted, beckoning for her to come closer. She nodded and went to his side, observing the struggling knights. Her eyes bobbed back and forth from each of them.

"Will she be alright?" Garnet asked, concerned, "we don't want her failing on us and…"

She trailed off, the nurse putting her hand up to assuage her.

"Beatrix will be well as long as she keeps up with us. I do hope she has the strength in her."

Steiner and Garnet both exchanged sure glances, then turned back to her.

"She's a warrior," they both stated in unison.

Beatrix did precisely what she was told. For the next half an hour the birthing process went on, Steiner and Garnet helping her through the excruciating experience of giving birth.

Then, something beautiful happened. Everything was hushed except the cries of a newborn baby. The nurse took the baby, covered in many different body fluids, to another room to get her cleaned off, and then brought her back in immediately after she was finished, Steiner reaching his hands out for his daughter, eager to meet her for the first time, impatience showing on his long face.

"A very healthy baby you have, malady."

The nurse placed the baby in her mother's arms, ignoring Steiner's tries. There she was in Beatrix's arms at last, cooing inside a pale yellow blanket. Steiner had been right—the baby was a girl. She was a stunning baby with a dark brown curl on top of her head and dark green eyes. She had only weighed about 6 pounds, but she was a hale and hearty baby girl. Neither Steiner nor Beatrix could believe the modest baby girl that they had been waiting for was in Beatrix's sweaty, tired arms. They marveled at her beauty, and could not stop staring. They were beyond speechless.

"Hey, Beatrix!" Zidane called out from outside the room, getting a peek at what was going on. Right next to him was his own son, Zylan.

"Come on in, honey," Garnet encouraged, signaling him to come over to where the baby was. Zidane walked over quietly, and started over Garnet's shoulder at the baby.

"She…she's gorgeous!" He said a little too loudly for the setting. But no one cared. Even the king and queen could not stop staring at the lovely baby, even though just a year earlier they had had one of their own. He was a small boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, a tail and a miniscule horn, and he had come into the room with them to see the baby.

"Go on, Zylan, go see her," Garnet encouraged her son, resting her hand on his back as he walked up to the baby slowly to observe. He stared at her intently, eyes wide with wonder. Almost at once, he ran a small hand down the baby's soft warm face, and she started crying.

"Zylan!" Zidane scolded in a whisper, grabbing him and holding him in his arms. The nurse entered the room, holding a washcloth.

"Here," She said, putting the washcloth on Beatrix's head, "this should hold you." Beatrix smiled weakly and looked down at her child. She started to wonder what she might name her.

"Steiner," She asked quietly.

"Yes, darling?"

"What…what are we going to name her?"

Steiner gave one simple look at his crying daughter, stroking her head with his thumb, and spoke.

"Lilia. Her name is Lilia."

"Lilia…"Beatrix whispered, musing at the name before falling asleep.

"Lilia…eh?" Zidane asked his wife.

"It's a beautiful name, Steiner," She told him, while he glowed with glory over the new pride and joy in his life.

**And that was where Lilia Steiner's story began.**


	2. A Fool

Daggertrepe: Ok, so no one reviewed in these past few days. *cries* It's ok, though. I'll keep continuing even if no one reads it, because I like the idea. And, I've decided the story will not be in 1st person POV. And, in addition to updating every chapter, I will name a song that has something to do with the chapter, and it's probably a great song, so you should go listen to it.

Disclaimer: I do not own FFIX; but I do own Lilia Steiner.

Oh, and if you would like to see some cool Lilia fan art (done by my friend), visit this link, and then her deviant art page!

.com/art/Lilia-111338991 -Lilia by Ryla Sehn on Deviant art

Also, character low-down-

Zylan Zidane Til Alexandros Tribal-Z&G's son- Just turned 18

Crystal Dagger Til Alexandros Tribal- Zylan's sister- Just turned 16

Zane Baku Til Alexandros Tribal- Their little brother- 8 years old

Lilia is also 16, but she is going on 17.

**Chapter Song: Golly Sandra by Eisley**

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_**I didn't think things would ever come this point. **_

_**Or be this difficult. **_

_**How could I have gotten myself into this?**_

_**I should've never let myself get into such a mess.**_

_**I should have listened to them.**_

_**Oh, let me die. **_

_**Just run the blade into my ashen heart.**_

_**For I do not want to feel the sunshine upon my pallid skin for as long as he cannot be mine.**_

_**Just let me die.**_

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Lilia Rose Steiner woke up in a cold sweat, jerking upright in her bed made of the finest satin sheets, the room churning. Her eyes couldn't seem to focus on one particular thing, so she thud back down onto her back, feeling the leftover warmth hit her almost barren back. She tried to focus on the feather-shaped scraping on her ceiling that she always stared at before she drifted off into slumber. After about 10 seconds of looking, she finally focused in on the feather, sighing.

"Jeez. I must have really injured myself yesterday…" She spoke to herself in her deep, throaty alto voice that made every man in the kingdom drop like flies. She uncovered herself and threw the covers to the side, hopping forward to her mirror across the room. The reflection showed a beautiful girl with messy, dark brown hair that curled in ringlets down her back, dark green eyes that glowed back at her, long bottom eyelashes, pale white skin, and her lips; the bottom one to full to suit the top. The only thing disturbing her look was her twisted expression and the sweat on her forehead. After inspecting herself thoroughly and making sure there were no bruises or after battle marks, she decided that all was well. She jumped back into her bed and threw her arms behind her head, relaxing. She wondered about the people outside her fiercely decorated room with the rose colored walls, the finest wooden furniture, a large queen sized bed and a mirror to match. She had figured that her father was probably patrolling the castle rounds and her mother was watching the queen. She thought that Crystal, Zidane and Garnet's daughter, was still sleeping, along with her little brother Zane. Then, the most important person in her life hit her mind like meteor spell.

"_Zylan!" _She thought to herself, and shot out of her bed and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She hurriedly took off her silky white nightgown and threw it to the side, running over to the tub and turned on the tap. She let the water run for a while before she stuck a cork into the hole in the ground and let it fill up with steaming water. Slowly but surely the tub filled up with water, and she slipped herself in carefully, relaxing. With a sigh, she thought about the event that was today.

"_It's Zylan's birthday today…" _She thought, savoring the thought and plunging herself underneath the surface to fully experience the warmth. The warm feeling of the water against her skin and the thoughts of Zylan were a good combination. She made bubbles with the air in her mouth and watched them rise to the blurry surface.

"_I hope he likes my present. If he doesn't…"_

She resurfaced breathing. She didn't want to think about that. She grabbed the shampoo in the dark green glass bottle on the ledge of the bathtub, pulling out the cork and letting some gently slide onto her palm. She rubbed it all into her thick brown hair scrubbed her scalp like there was no tomorrow.

"_I must look and smell my finest."_

She went back under, feeling her hair loosen as the shampoo became part of the water. There she stayed for a few moments, holding her breath and enjoying the complete warmth, which she very seldom could. Popping up again, she grabbed her rose-smelling bar of soap from the soap dish and rubbed it all over her curvy body, making her skin soft, clean and smelling like roses. Pulling out the cork to the tub, she grabbed her hair towel which was next to her on the towel rack and wrapped it around her soaked hair. She then grabbed the body towel, stood up, and wrapped it around herself, stepping out onto the pink carpet of her bathroom, as not to wet the pink tiles on the floor.

She thought about how everything in her room and bathroom was pink. She thought it probably stemmed from her father thinking she liked pink when she was little, thus making everything in the room pink. It's not that she didn't like pink, she would have just preferred purple, which was her favorite colour, or possibly any color that was gender-friendlier. She was never one for the "girly" stuff, though her parents _tried _to get her into all the girly, princess-y, absolutely mushy, _strange _stuff. They never wanted her to become a knight, really, but the day Lilia picked up a sword, it was all decided.

_Beatrix and Steiner were in the courtyard with their only daughter, sitting in the grass as a family, just enjoying the fresh spring air while gazing at a melon-coloured sunset. The courtyard was just outside the castle's main doors, and above it was the ballroom balcony. In the middle on the yard was a fountain, and out of it was spurting orange coloured water from curvy spouts that splashed into the pool of water below it. On top of the fountain lay a fair stone maiden of some sort. All around there were pathways leading into the town and to other parts of the castle. But no one was walking down them on that day, so it was extremely peaceful and quiet with the humming of the birds and the splash of the water. Lilia was all curled up in Steiner's lap, only 4 years old, and Beatrix was sitting next to them, just gazing at her husband in adoration and stroking her daughter's soft, dark brown locks._

"_She's getting so big," Beatrix commented, watching her daughter sleep in his arms._

"_I know," Steiner agreed, marveling at her as well. After a long day of being on guard and not being able to spend time with their precious child, they wanted to take out some time just for her._

"_We never get to spend any time with her…I feel so atrocious for that," Beatrix noted quietly._

"_As I," he said, placing his hand on Lilia's cheek and feeling her warm, soft skin._

"_It's almost as if she's not ours sometimes. It's almost as if we're not her parents. We're not the ones who feed her, or even take care of her during the day."_

"_She's tutored, do not forget. She's busy with that most of the day anyway, and then she goes and plays with Zylan and Crystal until we retire in the late afternoon. Then, if she is not too tired we spend time with her. It's not so bad."_

"_No," Beatrix agreed, "After all, we wouldn't have any time off if it weren't for her. We'd be guarding all day. But, since our Queen is more than generous, she has others guard for us so that we can spend time with Lily."_

_Steiner was silent, for he could hear an edge in her tone._

"…_But sometimes I wonder why she was given to us. I mean, I had never planned on having a child, much less a daughter. My father always wanted me to marry and have a family, typical of Treno, but I always wanted to fight. And here I am…married and with a daughter," She chuckled lightly, "My father would be so happy, but at the same time disappointed because I can't be there full-time for her."_

"_Don't think that way. You're father would be proud of you no matter what."_

"_Steiner…I ran away from home when I was 15 out of serious rebellion. I hardly think my father was ever truly proud of me. I never got the chance to prove myself to him..."_

"_You'd be happier if you'd had some closure with your parents and siblings instead of just abandoning them."_

_Beatrix stayed silent for a few minutes, not saying anything._

"_Most of them are dead…and the ones who are alive surely will not remember me," She started, pain in her voice, "Besides…after what I did…with my blood stained hands… they would not want a thing to do with me."_

_Beatrix sighed and then looked back down at her daughter, still stroking her hair._

"_The least I can do is raise her the right way and hope that she'll become a fair maiden like my father wanted me to be. After all…she probably won't want to follow the same path as I, nor do I want her to. The horrors I've seen…the blood that was spilled…the men and women I've slain…there is really no place for a lovely girl in a world such as that. I don't want her being exposed to those things."_

_Lilia stirred just as she said this, and both her parents looked down at her in surprise._

"_M-Mommy? Daddy?" she murmured, sitting up and wiping her eyes. It took her a few moments to readjust from grogginess, but it didn't take her long at all._

"_Did you sleep well, darling?" Steiner asked, and Lilia nodded, a smile forming on her small lips, her dark green eyes sparkling._

"_Mommy, Daddy, guess what?" she asked, getting really excited._

"_What dear?" Beatrix asked back, curious to know what Lilia was so exited about._

"_Watch this!" she said, and she got up and ran over to an abandoned part of the grass where a sword lay. She kneeled down and struggled to pick it up with two hands, but finally got it off the ground, the tip of the sword still touching. Immediately, Beatrix and Steiner got up out of their spots to stop their daughter, not wanting her to get hurt of course. Steiner grabbed his daughter and Beatrix grabbed the sword before it fell to the ground. Lilia started to cry in her father's strong grip, struggling to be let go._

"_Waahahahahaaaa!!!" Lilia screamed, and her father tried to hush her._

"_Lilia, this is not a toy!!" Beatrix shouted, pointing at the sword in her hand, "You could get hurt playing with this!"_

"_But I…wanna…I wanna FIGHT LIKE MOMMY AND DADDY!!!" she screamed, wailing so loudly that even Queen Garnet, who had just so happened to be walking by, had to come to the courtyard to see what was going on. Beatrix and Steiner just stared, dumbfounded at the squirming girl in Steiner's hands._

"_What is going on here?" the young queen asked, floating over to them gracefully._

_Beatrix and Steiner didn't respond; all they could do was stare at their daughter in complete shock, mouths hanging open. _

_They had been wrong about her after all; she didn't want to play with dolls and be a girly girl like they had thought-she had wanted to play with swords and fight things. Every time they tried to present her with toys or dresses or perfumes, she refused them and asked for armour or weapons. This worried her parents extremely, and it went on for the next few years. Lilia was a troubled child, always getting into fights and hanging with the boys, never wanting to go to bed when she was supposed to and never wanting to go to tea parties with Crystal and her friends. The only thing Lilia did that was even remotely feminine was her Alexandrian Dance classes, which she only took because her father had insisted she do something that would define her feminism, and it would have no doubt honored the Queen. Beatrix and Steiner had hoped this would fade when womanhood came, so they waited it out. By the time she was ten, she had not gotten any better. They decided to let her watch them train to occupy her so that she wouldn't go cause trouble (punishments didn't suffice)—but only watch. Then, they promised her that if she still wanted to fight later on, she could, hoping that what she saw would turn her off to knightly hood all together. But it didn't. It just made her want to be a knight even more. So, when she turned 13, she was finally allowed to train to become a knight; but only under her father's strict supervision, and a warning that things in her world would become brutal, and that someday she would have to take lives and possibly be at the risk of having her own taken. That, of course, did not faze her either._

"_The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!" Zidane told Beatrix one day while they watched Lilia and Steiner train like mad, swords clanking and curses being exchanged in the background. Beatrix just shook her head and laughed._

"_I suppose not."_

_____________________________________________________________________________________

She twisted the crystal knob on her bathroom door and pushed out, letting the steam roll into the drier air as she stepped onto the pink carpet of her room, the crisp, cold air caressing her skin in its harsh manor.

"Jeez, and it's March!" she said to herself, referring to the icy bite, reminding herself that her own birthday was merely in a month. She quickly headed to her long, wide, wooden, embellished bureau, throwing both her towels on her bed, trying to get past the chilly air and into her clothes. She placed her hands onto the large metal handles and pulled back gingerly, not wanting to tip the whole monstrosity of a closet over onto her with her _oh-so-feminine_ strength. She peered inside the strange darkness, a musty, wooden smell erupting from its depths. She was used to the smell and almost liked it, but every time she went in she saw leagues and leagues of never ending, frilly, lacy, colorful, girly _dresses. _She gloomily looked around for her yearly ceremonial dress. Finally, her eye had caught its impeccable whiteness and she grabbed it, pulled it out, and inspected it for perfection. It was a very pretty dress, one with rather thick shoulder straps and a plunging neck-line, along with a slimmer dress body to suit her curves and many sparking diamond embellishments all the way down to the bottom, which only lay inches to the ground, and loosely so that it would flow as she walked and danced and _sparkled_. Around the hanger was a shawl that she would use to perform the dance with, and a wreath of brown vines that would serve her as a headdress as soon as her mother decorated it with fresh spring cresses.

"In fallible," she stated, stamping her foot down in approval, but it wasn't exactly a jovial approval; it was more like a "oh-here-we-go-with-this-_uh-gain_" approval, knowing very well that her father would be horribly angry if there was even a speck on the dress. Sighing, she threw it on the bed, accessories and all, suddenly realizing that the air in the room felt kind of nice now that the dress had taken away the distraction of the cold long enough for her skin to dry. She looked over at her closed pink curtains, wondering if the day was nice outside. Just standing there, free and nude, she thought of many things that she didn't have time to think about, until she realized she finally needed to be dressed. So, she picked up her dress off the bed and slipped it on, fastening it so that it was just right and making sure it didn't need a pin here or there. Deciding that it fit well, she grabbed her shawl and flung it over her shoulders and grabbed the wreath of vines, inspecting the brown, moldy color of it.

"This thing really is getting old," she said to herself, and immediately after there was a knock on the door.

"Lily? May I enter?" she heard he mother call from the other side.

"Yes."

The Alexandrian General, Beatrix, entered the room slowly, looking at her daughter cautiously to see if she were decent.

Lilia had always thought her mother was the most beautiful woman in the world, even though lines of age could be seen on her face after being alive for years and years. She had beautiful chestnut-brown locks that curled in an upward fashion at the end, making quite large, thick curls. Though her hair was graying, and graying fast, she still loved it. Her skin was a nice, clean shade of peach, and her lips were perfect in their shape, size, and colour. She had the most perfect shape for a woman; not too skinny, but just the right amount of muscle and curve. Somehow, she always managed to stay under 120 pounds. Lilia even thought her one eye, reddish-brown and glowing with wisdom and even _pain _was beautiful. She didn't dare ask how her mother lost her other eye, because she felt it would hurt her if she was asked, even though she asked all the time when she was little, but now she knew better.

Beatrix stepped towards her daughter, who at 5'8 was only slightly taller than her. Every day, Beatrix wore the same thing; her dark red tights, her rose over jacket, her gauntlets, and her metal boots. Of course she would need it to be tailored once every few months to fix stains and rips, and she always had a backup outfit just in case. She felt that it was her "uniform", so wearing anything else would be inappropriate. Lilia noticed she was carrying a basket of white flowers and her very own canister of her prized makeup that she would not even let the queen touch without her permission.

"We need to get these onto the wreath," She told Lilia, pulling down her dress a bit.

"Ok, let's to that," She responded, pulling out the chair at her dresser/mirror and sitting down, her mother placing the basket in front of her. Lilia grabbed a few flowers and started placing them onto the wreath, until they were all over it in a beautiful fashion.

"Once you put the flowers on, the wreath doesn't look so bad!" she said, setting it down on the desk.

"You'll only be doing this for another year or so, so we can just throw that away when the time comes," Beatrix assured, setting down the rose-decorated can of makeup and opening the lid to reveal lipsticks, powders, blushes and eyeshadows of all kinds. Lilia hated being reminded of anything remotely girly or anything of her somewhat forced childhood.

"Oh, lord," Lilia moaned as her mother picked up her favorite face powder and brush, opening it and placing the tips of the soft bristles into the chalky mess, dust flying all around, "you don't even wear that."

"Only when the time is appropriate," she stated before blowing on the upturned brush, "now close your eyes."

Lilia did so, and her mother lightly dusted her face with the powder. When Lilia opened her eyes to look in the mirror, she saw an even paler reflection than before, except one that looked less real. Before she knew it, Beatrix was throwing all kinds of make-up on her face, and when she was done, she had to admit that she looked beautiful—more beautiful than she preferred. She had lips of cherry red, cheeks of a light pink, and eyeshadow that was whiter than white could be. She looked like something that just fell straight from heaven, what with all the white.

"You look lovely!" Beatrix stated, closing the canister with a small click and putting a hand on her hip, admiring her work.

"I know. Too lovely…"

"You don't like this, but again, there is only one more year that you will ever have to do this."

Lilia looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. Then, she looked again at her mother, who was smiling subtly at her.

"Your father and I are so proud of you, love," Beatrix told her quietly, a strange sort of loving glow in her eye, "I hope you know that."

"I know," she admitted, once again looking at her flawless appearance in the glassy reflection of herself.

"Sometimes it can seem like your father does nothing but prate you, but he is really just looking out for you." At this, Beatrix picked up a brush that was on the dresser and starting brushing through her daughters drying locks.

Lilia stayed quiet at this. She knew her father loved her, of course, but he was so strict and controlling that it drove her up a wall. It didn't help that she was an only child, and a daughter at that. Sometimes she wished that she had a sibling so that the focus wasn't solely on her. But this, she knew she could not help. She watched as her mother carefully brushed her hair, making sure to separate every strand into its proper curl. Finally, Beatrix put down the brush and ran both of her hands over her daughter's head.

"There. You're all set to go. All we need now is your shoes…"

Her gazed turned to the bureau, which she went over and opened carefully, and she bent down to pick them up off of the bottom of the closet. She walked over to Lilia, setting them at her feet. They were her typical white high heeled shoes, made of the finest material a perfect, white, closed-toed high heeled shoe could be made out of. She slipped them on as her mother presented them to her and stood up, wobbling from not wearing them for a whole year.

"Steady."

"God, I hate these shoes. In fact, I hate high heels altogether," Lilia told her mother as she finally found her balance.

"Ok, well, let's go. The parade is in about an hour and you still need to eat your breakfast," Beatrix said, stepping out of the room and noiselessly making her way downstairs.

"How does she do that?" Lilia asked herself, trying to follow just as quietly, shutting her bedroom door behind her.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" She shouted in a whisper, running back into the room and towards a small drawer next to her bed. She opened it, quickly taking out a small black box and wrapping her hand tightly around it.

"He's going to love this…I hope."

The streets of Alexandria looked like they were on fire. People were swarming like flies around honey, and everyone was anxiously awaiting Zylan's 18th birthday ceremony. King Zidane had been the one to start the street dancing traditions, and ever since the town could never get enough of them. Every year, all everyone would talk about every time a royal birthday came around was the street ceremony and Alexandrian Dancing girls. The girls would gracefully dance down the street in their white gowns, twisting and turning and swirling gracefully all the way to the Ceebell River, where they would turn back and attend the royal party, a celebration where only the finest in the lands got to go to. The Regent of Lindblum would usually be invited, but the past few years the Queen of Lindblum, Eiko Carol Fabool Carrey was invited, due to the passing of the Regent Cid IX and his wife Hilda. Eiko loved to invite all of her closest friends and her husband, Lihn Carrey, so naturally an already huge celebration got even bigger.

And this made Lilia extremely nervous as she waited by the lake near the castle, where the parade began. The float behind her carried a whole symphonic band to back the dancers up as they danced and people who would throw confetti all over them as they sparkled, weaving through the brick streets. Next to her stood one of her best friends, Gabrielle. Gabrielle was a poor peasant girl, but a fabulous dancer and a great friend none the less. She had short, strawberry blonde hair and dark blue eyes that had a hint of light brown in them. Her whole body was covered in freckles and she was much shorter than Lilia, but that gave her an advantage over her because she had less to haul around. Gabrielle smiled up at Lilia a few moments before the parade began.

"Hey, Lily, you ready?" She asked in her mousy, yet raspy voice.

Lilia just smirked and saluted to her.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

Gabrielle looked annoyed.

"Lily, I told you not to salute me."

"Oh, sorry…bad habit," Lilia apologized, scratching her head. Gabrielle laughed lightly, putting a flat hand over her eyes to block the sun from her view. She gazed around the streets for a few moments, and then pointed to the balcony where the Queen watched her plays.

"Look, Zylan's up there!" Gabrielle pointed out, smirking at Lilia. Lilia immediately looked over to see that Zylan was overlooking the crowd, leaning on the brick wall that separated him from the sky. Behind him were his parents, and also her parents. Lilia could see that he was smug at the people's love of him. She crossed her arms and turned away in embarrassment.

"So what?"

"Don't pretend like you don't care," Gabrielle told her, clearly amused, "you know you want to dance your _very best _for him."

"If you don't shut up, I'll smash you."

"Try and catch me!"

"Ok guys, enough. The parade is going to start any second," Akira , their dance teacher, told them. Lilia turned to Gabrielle with an upturned eyebrow and Gabrielle stuck her tongue out at Lilia.

"You're an idiot." Lilia told her, laughing.

"No more than you."

Then, at that very second, the music started and the girls were propelled forward by the sound of the music. The crowd cheered as they started their dance with one single twist, slow and precise. They all dove to the ground, touching it and staying there on their knees for many seconds.

"One, two, three!" Akira shouted, and stood up spinning, all the girls behind her. They did multiple spins down the street, before finally stopping and jumping up into the air, landing perfectly on their feet. The music blared behind Lilia as she danced her way down the street, her white dress and shawl flowing behind her, white confetti falling like rain as she swirled and twirled through the streets, shouting people on either side of her. There were short people, tall people, rich people, poor people, people on the roofs, people of all sorts, people everywhere, watching her dance, jumping up and down in anxious excitement, throwing things, singing along. She knew she must have looked like a galaxy what with twinkling so much in the obnoxious sun, backed up by the crisp blue sky behind it. She didn't even have to think about the traditional dance anymore because she had been doing it for so many years. She gracefully waltzed through the streets with ease; everything seeming like it was in slow motion with the drums booming behind her. Gabrielle was doing a wonderful job dancing next to her, also not missing one step, but doing them more gracefully than Lilia ever possibly could. By the time they got to the Ceebell, the whole crowd was going wild, and they made their way back to the castle in dance and song, though they could barely hear the music with the crowd making so much noise. As a bonus for Lilia, she could see Zylan watching the dance on the way back. She made sure that she blew him a kiss before she twirled on, surely leaving him a great impression before his most beloved parade was over.

Lilia looked all around for her beloved Zylan. In what may have been the biggest ballroom in the entire planet, she had to sift through many different people to try to find him, until she finally gave up. The room made her dizzy, what with its terribly high ceiling, colossal crystal chandelier, and its slippery wooden floors that made ridiculous sounds every time she took a step. There had been so many people all around; most of the women had been wearing puffy, frilly dresses of strange neon colours and attention-grabbing hats, while the men wore nobles' outfits, their pockets stuffed with change. Hanging all around were bright orange lights and everyone looked orange because of them. Near the refreshments table stood her parents in their usual attire, along with the king and queen, chatting away a storm. As she was looking for Crystal, Gabrielle or someone to talk to, a man and a woman dancing bumped into her and sent her jerking right into another dancing couple. The couple that Lilia bumped into shouted curses at her and kept dancing, while the one that bumped into her didn't even apologize.

"And they call them _nobles…?"_ Lilia muttered to herself, brushing off her shoulders.

"Oh, Lilia," she heard her father shout behind her, turning around just in time to see him clanking up to her, "You did wonderful this afternoon. I just wanted to tell you that your mother and I are so proud of you!"

His pressed his monstrous frame to hers; giving her the largest bear hug on the planet. Lilia made an honest attempt to hug him back, but he was suffocating her.

"Guhhh…dad…you're choking me…"

Steiner's eyes widened and he backed away, but not enough to block Lilia's face-on view of him.

"Sorry."

Lilia looked at her father's face. He had probably the longest eyelashes she'd ever seen for a man, and she knew she got her long lashes from him. His mouth was turned down into a permanent frown, and his eyes brows were always furrowed. All this made his long, ghostly face seem even longer and scarier. Lilia honestly did not know how her mother woke up to _that _every morning, and she also could not figure out how she got away from his looks in her physical makeup, for the most part.

Lilia just needed to get away from all the people and the music and the lights and the voices. So, kindly telling her father goodbye, she walked away. Trying to get out of the ballroom, she had to push aside many people, and through their constant complaints, she became entirely annoyed at the whole scene. It took her about 10 minutes just to make her way across the room, and she felt it to be ridiculous. When she finally got to the double set of doors, she reached for the handle to open it. Just then, someone shot out in front of her so that instead of grabbing a door handle, she grabbed a woman's breast.

"Eyyyahhh!!" Lilia shouted, jumping back in horror, her whole body recoiling in the opposite direction. The woman in front of her was a small, plump woman with a round face and curly, honey blond hair that was sloppily placed atop her head with an orange clip that matched her orange dress, which ironically matched the whole glow of the room. She had a startled expression on her face, her eyes bulging out of her head and her lips parted, her hands poised out in front of her defensively.

"I'm sorry dear; I didn't mean to scare you like that!" The woman apologized with sincerity. Lilia snarled at her for a few seconds, and then lightened up.

"Um…it's quite alright," Lilia responded, taking a less defensive stance, standing tall.

"Good. Um…" The woman started, inching closer to Lilia, "I just wanted to tell you that you did a fine job dancing today in the ceremony."

And, again, she inched ever closer. She had her hands clasped together and her eyes were as wide as a begging dog's.

"In fact, you looked so beautiful that it hurt me ever so slightly…"

That was the point where Lilia became creeped out.

"Ugghhh…thank you so much?" Lilia thanked her, moving backwards.

"If there's ever anything, anything at all-

"No, I'm alright, really. Have a nice evening!" Lilia told her, evading her and her dumbfounded expression, dashing towards the doors and out of them as fast as she possibly could. She ran all the way down the grand staircase and out of the main entrance and into the courtyard right outside. She stopped there in the grass, hands on her knees, breathing hard.

"_Good lord…who the hell was that?!" _she thought to herself.

She caught her breath and shrugged, plopping down on the grass. She rested her hands behind her head like she loved to do, and just sighed, spreading her legs comfortably and just relaxing like nobody was around. She stared off into the distant sunset and reminisced about the whole day; what with the dancing, the party, Zylan.

"_Zylan," _she thought sharply, remembering his present, which she kept around her neck. She slowly brought her hand up to her neck, nervous that the jewelry that she bought might have disappeared. Ever so slightly, she brushed her fingers against the smooth feeling of the jewel on the charm of the necklace, and she smiled.

"_It's still here."_

She felt it up some more. She memorized the feeling of the chain, the jewel, and every other curve of the necklace that she possibly could. It meant so much to her to give it to him. She had saved up since she was 14 to buy him this for his 18th birthday, and now that she finally had it, she didn't want to lose it. She thought about how she would give it to him, and a plethora of scenarios went through her love-bitten mind. All were equally enchanting, but she couldn't think of a better time to give it to him than right now, while she was staring at the golden sunset. She sighed.

"_I just want him to know…" _she thought solemnly, wishing he would just appear right in front of her. She thought that she had a way better chance of her father clanking out to meet her right there, laying in the grass and not socializing. That wouldn't sit well with him, for it wouldn't be "ladylike". He would yell and scream and make so much noise that everyone would come out into the courtyard just to see what all the commotion was. Lilia chuckled at this thought.

"Whatcha laughin' at?" a silky, baritone voice asked her, and she scrambled up out of her position just to see who was behind her.

Surely enough, Zylan was standing behind her in all his glory, not knowing just how much of a scene he caused. She stared at him, bewildered. He was wearing a dark blue noble's outfit, black shoes, and a dark blue hat, the rim outstretching way farther than it ever should. Underneath the hat, his almost shoulder-length dirty blonde hair blew in the wind and dark blue eyes sparkled in the sun. On his forehead was a small horn, and on his bottom there was a tail. These were all unusual things to have, especially in combination, but Lilia adored them because they were apart of _him, _the man she's always loved.

"If it isn't birthday boy? Happy birthday!" Lilia exclaimed.

"Thanks," he started, looking slightly confused, "what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside having fun?" Zylan asked, walking over to her in a swagger, sitting down next to her and gazing into her eyes, which were now dilated with wonder. Lilia stared into them for a few seconds, taking in their intricacies, their lines and their colours; an odd but lovely mix of greens and blues, and a compassionate glow that made her want to melt.

"I tried to have fun, but then I accidentally molested some lady," Lilia told him, a hint of humor in her tone.

"Oh, yes? And…how exactly did you manage to do that?" he asked, getting her joke.

"I was trying to leave the damn party, and she got in my way," she started, choking back a giggle, "and then it turns out that she was trying to molest ME."

"So…you accidentally touched some lady inappropriately, and then she purposefully tried to assault you…is that what you're saying?" he asked, his eyes aglow with passion. Lilia stared into them, her insides flaming with joy.

Zylan and Lilia had been friends since they were tots. When they were little, they used to play together all the time to keep each other company while their parents were away, and over the years, they grew close, and Lilia even fell in love with him. She remembered the days when Zylan used to train with all of the knights and how he would actually be a lot better than her at fighting, until he had suddenly quit. She even remembered farther back, when they would steal things from vendors and cause havoc in the town, leaving Steiner to write apology notes to the folk. These days, she became depressed at the fact that she couldn't see him as often as she'd liked, but she dealt with it as best she could. She knew he had more important things to tend to.

"Yes. Scary, but true."

"Yeah, that party is kind of a drag," he started, stretching him limbs and then lying in the grass like Lilia was before he came, "so…how's training going? I wish I could still train, instead of doing all this "prince" stuff."

Lilia sat over him, watching him below.

"It's alright…I've kind of come to the end of it. I haven't much else to learn, what with me being the Lieutenant General for god knows how long," Lilia told him, rolling her eyes.

"You're lucky. All the other Alexandrian Knights would kill to be in your position. They would _kill _to be General Beatrix's daughter."

Lilia scoffed.

"Yeah, and they think it's been handed to me on a silver platter because of that, and Felicia never ceases to annoy me, even though I command her…"

"Don't let them get to you…their all just jealous because they know they'll never surpass you in greatness. You were born with it in your blood."

He laid a hand on her shoulder, and stared deeply into her eyes. Lilia wanted to fly.

"After all, you are a great person, and a great fighter at that."

Lilia had to look away, for his eyes and his overall expression were too much for her to handle. As she turned away, her necklace jumped up a bit, and she remembered her present to him.

"Oh, Zylan! I have a present for you," she told him, reaching behind her hair and unlatching the necklace, pulling it of and presenting it to him in her palm.

"I bought this for you, as a present. I…"

She had trouble getting out the words, for he was looking at her with the sweetest expression that he possibly could.

"…I want you to have it, so that you can remember the friendship that we have forever."

She grabbed his open hand and placed it there. Zylan just stared at the small golden necklace with the diamond in the middle, smiling. He did that for a while, and Lilia didn't know what to say or do. She just watched him as he glowered.

"It's…beautiful," he finally said, looking up at her, "but you didn't need to give me a necklace to remind me of our friendship. I'll always remember it. How could I ever forget?"

"_He's got to be the sweetest man on the planet," _she thought, blushing.

"Well…I just wanted to give it to you anyway. It is your 18th birthday after all."

"How much did this cost?"

"Too much," Lilia admitted, clasping her hands together and looking away from him at the ground.

"Well, who's to stop you?" he said, jumping up to his feet and reaching behind his head to put it around his neck. Once it was on, he danced a little bit, looking down at it, his tail wagging. Lilia couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. Lilia stood up, too, and mimicked his body stance.

"It's nothing…I just find you to be so funny," she let him know softly, staring into his eyes once more. They stayed like that for a while, not looking away. Finally, Zylan spoke up, a frown forming on his face.

"Lils…I've got something important to tell you, and that's why I came out here in the first place," He hesitated, backing away from her just a bit, wringing his hands. His face turned sour fast, his eyes scrunched and his teeth barren.

"W-What is it?" She asked, her joy dwindling. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

"Well…I don't know how you'll take this…probably not very well…but…"

Lilia just wanted him to get it over with.

"Just tell me," She demanded, becoming more and more anxious, feeling like she couldn't move. At this point, she had to lie because she really didn't want to know the truth, what with seeing his body language and his actions.

Zylan took and deep breath, and put both of his hands on his head, squeezing his eyes together.

"I'm going to be crowned king in three months."

Lilia just stared at him, completely and utterly shocked. Her hands dropped to her sides and her mouth fell open. Zylan knew she wasn't going to take it well and quickly tried to ease her pain.

"I'm so sorry," Zylan explained, running up to her and placing her pale face in his shaking hands, "I just want you to know that I do care about you, and I do-

"Don't!" Lilia screamed, jerking away from him. She backed away, shaking her head in disbelief. She was shaking in fear, in desperation. Her arms curled up at her chest, and she coiled into herself, looking like a wounded puppy. Zylan scowled, only being able to look at her in a wince. After the initial shock wore off, he slowly walked towards her.

At that moment, Lilia was sure he knew how she felt about him, or else he would not have said that. Tears started to cascade down her face. Zylan could not stand the sight of her heart breaking, and he knew there was nothing he could do or say to assuage her, and her sparkling, teary emerald eyes showed it. So, he whispered one final apology to her as he closed the space between them, stared thoughtfully at her for a few seconds, and then dashed back into the castle. Lilia did not even let her eyes follow him. It was no use anyway, because she wouldn't have been able to see him through the screen of tears clouding her vision. Falling to her knees, getting her clean, white dress all dirty, she felt like her whole world was falling apart, and fast. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach and her eyes had been peppered. Her arms hurt. Her legs hurt. Her head hurt. Everything in her being hurt. She wasn't anticipating him to be crowned that fast. She had been planning on at least capturing his heart before then, and _maybe _becoming his queen. But who was she kidding? She was destined to be the all-acclaimed "General of Alexandria". How was she supposed to let go of that, after all her training and after all her determination to make her parents proud of her? All of her life she had wanted so badly to be general, and at that ironic moment she found herself not wanting it at all. The king cannot marry his general, and he could not just give up his royalty. Wishing that to be so was a crime in itself. The fact of the matter was, they could never be together because they were both sworn into something, chosen or not. Tears hit the grass, one after another, rolling off of her cheeks. She did not know what to do, for her whole entire world just came to an end.

"_**What…what am I going to do…?!" She thought in absolute desperation.**_

Daggertrepe: That was like the longest thing I've ever written. Now that I'm older and I've taken a creative writing class, I like writing in detail to really capture the feeling of the story. Some things are harder to write in detail than other, so it's tough work. Reviews of any sort are always appreciated, so I hope I get some feedback, and I hope you guys liked it. The next chapter won't be as long, but it will be crucial to the plotline, so watch out!


	3. In Horrific Slumber

Daggertrepe: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, or just read. If you would like to anonymously post a review, I allowed that setting if you want to flame me, or just comment to be nice. I won't be offended. Really. Feedback is great. Without feedback, I cannot continue, honestly. I know I'm not the best writer in the world, (there are far better) but I try my hardest. 

Note: I am trying so hard to develop characters slowly, here. Like a roast in a crock pot, it takes time to cook, so bare with me! Also, make sure you understand that even though Lilia is very mature, she has her moments when she acts like a giddy sixteen-year-old. This character trait is the one that will make her or break her, so take note of that!

**Warning: This chapter is extremely gruesome and graphic, so do not read if you do not like blood and gore.**

Disclaimer: I do not own FFIX.

Also, check out **Ryla Sehn** on **deviantart** for **Bones of an Idol** fanart!

Chapter song: Love Affair by Copeland

_**Just let me run where I want to run,**_

_**Just let me love who I want…**_

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Lilia sat there on the steps of the dock, hand on her chin, one finger dancing through the murky, dark waters. She noticed how the color of the steps and the water fit her mood-dark and gritty with shame of being in the town for centuries. She thought that maybe the water wanted to leave, always just sitting there in the dank lake and maybe the steps too, if they could just get up and walk away. All around her was the dark brown color. It stood next to her in stone ramps and large, stone brick pillars, holding up two stone arches that created a beautiful, even looking scene from the waters. The ground beneath her was made of the brown stone bricks, and every time someone walked by, they clicked relentlessly. Directly behind her was a fountain, on it a figure of which she could not distinguish, and it also leaked strange colored water, only it was an ocean green. Beside it were small sets of stairs, one on each side, to elevate a person to a few roads that lead to the castle. Next to them stood Alexandrian flags, tall, green and waving around gently with the light breeze of the night. Things were calm on the outside. Inside Lilia's consciousness, there was much turmoil. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that he was going to be King of Alexandria in merely three months. The thought baffled her; though she realized that maybe it shouldn't be too shocking. He had been rather absent as of late, never wanting to go out or train with the knights. She should have figured that he was off preparing to be king.

One thing she could not understand was why he had been chosen to be crowned so early. Zidane and Garnet were both extremely young, so she couldn't think of a reason why they were just hopping off their thrones without much warning or known reason. They had everything they've ever wanted, plus more, and then some. Lilia thought that being the king or queen would be nice, and much easier than being a general. But, there was nothing more she loved than the feeling of the blade in her hands, the power of the sword pulsing through her, the lustrous metal begging her to slice, pleading for the taste of blood and flesh. It was sick, but she loved it. She loved wielding her sword, and the power that came with such an honor. The feeling was something special, something in her bones. She was meant to be in battle, she was born to fight. She absent-mindedly went to grab the hilt of her sword, but grasped only the air, realizing that she wasn't armed, and slumped back down.

There were times when her bloodlust even scared her. She'd never slain a human, only monsters, but dearly wanted to. Though her mother and father described it as 'heinous' and 'abhorrent' in every sense, Lilia wanted so badly to just know what it was like to truly and finally defeat another. She wanted to end the life of an enemy, to watch the dark, thick blood running down her blade, hitting the dirty ground in vibrant, colorful patterns in a manifold of red. She had confided this strange fantasy in one of her very few friends in the army, and they had told her that she was 'sick' and 'twisted'. That did not change anything that Lilia felt, and she knew that after years and years of training she was entitled to wanting to know what it felt like—what it _feels_ like to experience the glory of defeating another in the name of your country. That was pride to her.

Even though her mother detested the killing of others, she told Lilia that her desire to kill was good, that it meant she won't hold back in cowardice. Lilia felt good about that, in a girlish-daydream sort of way. She completely disregarded her mother when she forewarned her of the horrible awareness you gain after you murder another human being. Beatrix had described it as 'taking something that doesn't belong to you, but a higher power'. She suggested that there was nothing but horror and scarring in living a life where you breathe and eat and sleep just take the lives of others. There was sin and guilt constantly raining over you, the 'higher power' always reminding you that it has the final say, and at any moment it could just decide to dispose of you, too. In actuality, every person was so nonexistent in the full picture. Lilia didn't want to know what would happen to someone who isn't able to handle situations of such cruelty. That wasn't an issue for her. She was ready to do what she needed to do when the country finally went into war again, after 16 years or possibly more, depending on when war broke out. Worrying about it didn't fit inside of her schedule, but she was prepared.

This wasn't the concern running through her mind at the dock. Zylan had swiped all the delight from her with only a few crushing words, draining her like a bathtub full of delirium

"_I really shouldn't be like this…what I am, four? No! I'm going to be the General of Alexandria and here I sit, moping about an unattainable man who has absolutely intentions of being with me." _She thought to herself. She sighed and looked up at the sky, noticing the countless amounts of stars in the deep, blue sky.

"_Wow…it sure is bright out here. Look at all the stars."_

Lilia put her hand up to the blanket of still blackness with its bright holes, tracing abstract patterns with her fingers as she did in the water. She wanted so badly to just fly up above and be a part of the stars, burning away in their profound glory without a care in the universe.

"_Hmph. That'll never happen…"_

She slowly brought her hand down, but didn't take her eyes off the miraculous balls of light. The sky was so massive and vast, and compared to it she was diminutive. In the grand scheme of things, her and her foolhardy feelings were nothing. _Absolutely nothing. _She chuckled at the thought of this.

"_My feminine feelings…I just let them get the best of me, I suppose. They've always been such a pain. I really need to get more serious, and not focus on such minute things. I will be the General of Alexandria, soon. There will be no time for folly and heartbreak of all things."_

"Hey! What are you doing out here? I thought you were still in the nurse's office from your little fainting spell!"

Lilia jumped in surprise and turned around to see her best friend, Crystal, staring down at her with her hands behind her back, eyes dilated, and lips pouting to make a puerile impression.

"An Alexandrian soldier…passing-out! Imagine that!" Crystal teased, "That doesn't sound very courtly."

Crystal was Zidane and Garnet's second child, and the only princess in the kingdom. She looked just like her mother with her long, raven hair and her petite build. She had the utmost kindest, sapphire eyes and thin lips that almost always curved up into a smile. She usually wore the most elegant and extravagant of dresses, and she was draped in a strapless, light baby blue dress with lace patterns on the tight torso and a puffy train at the bottom with the same lacy designs. The dress looked a little large on her bust since she was so tiny. Regardless, she looked more than beauteous.

Lilia twisted back to the water, quite apparently irritated.

"All the stress of the day…it tired me," She responded acidly.

"Now, don't get acrimonious with me! You know the reason why you fainted," Crystal retorted, sitting down next to her, wrapping herself around her knees, "it's because Zylan knocked the blessed breath out of your holy lungs!"

She made a motion of punching herself in the stomach, her tongue following suit by hanging out of her mouth, eyes drooping. Lilia, less than amused, turned away from her completely.

"Oh, come on! Don't be like that! I'm just playing around," She assured her, punching her in the back.

"Go away."

"You know you would laugh if it were me in that situation!" Crystal insisted.

"No. I would not. I am not some immature little girl like you," Lilia fought back.

"Lils, we are the same age," Crystal said, crossing her arms and stomping down her high-heeled foot onto the brick ground, making a loud _clank. _Noticing this display of complete immaturity, Lilia smirked and flipped her hair behind her shoulder, a bad habit she picked up from her mother when she was being smug.

"Yes, but I don't act like I'm five years old."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Crystal shouted, face red and twisted.

"That," Lilia pointed to her physical action, "is what I mean."

Crystal huffed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms once more. The air was silent for a few minutes as Lilia just stared at the water intently and Crystal leered angrily at the sky. The wind had slowed since the night first began, and the water was still in its depths. The sky could not have been clearer, and the air smelled deliciously fresh. It was hard to stay angry at someone for long in weather like that. After the tension between then had dissented, Crystal spoke up.

"It was really a sight to see when your father came rushing into the courtyard, clanking like he does. He witnessed you just lying there, lifeless and went absolutely ballistic," She started quietly, continuing, "The only people that actually witnessed it were our mothers and I, though. You don't have to worry about being embarrassed. At least your father cares about you enough to carry you up to the infirmary. How did you get out of there, anyway?"

Lilia didn't respond for a good while. She just kept gazing over the waters, her mind full of troubles. She rested her chin on the palm of her right hand.

"I'm the future General of Alexandria. Sneaking past the nurse is easier than blinking."

"Well, you'd better shape up, 'cause they are starting to wonder if you're really cut out to be the General."

"…The General…" Lilia muttered in a daze, peering off into the distance as if she were somewhere else.

Crystal giggled, focusing on her expression intently.

"You know, you didn't sound entirely happy as you said that," Crystal noticed, frowning, "you sounded almost as if…you didn't want to be the General."

Lilia shook her head defiantly.

"No, that's not it. That's not it at all."

Crystal waited for something more, but nothing ever came out of her mouth. It was a sort of gentle, quiet understanding.

"It's Zylan…isn't it?"

It had been a rhetorical question, but Lilia nodded anyway, sullen and broken-down. Crystal acknowledged this, and folded her hands in her lap, a tired kind of glow in her usually happy eyes.

"I know that has to be hard for you. But, there isn't anything anyone can do."

Things were silent again for a few minutes. Lilia couldn't seem to find her place to speak for a good while.

"Zylan…he doesn't even want to be my friend anymore. The least I could have asked for was that. But, he's too concerned with royalty. Now that he knows of my feelings for him…what can he possibly do?" Lilia asked finally, simply shaking her head in disapproval of herself. Crystal grunted, clenching her jaw and tightening her fists.

"To be quite honest with you, Zylan doesn't even want to be king, He just goes along with it because of our parents' wishes," Crystal said all of a sudden, and very dryly, cocking her head to the side in an awkward way. This shocked Lilia.

"W-What do you mean, he doesn't want to be king?" She questioned, twitching a bit.

Crystal rolled her eyes and stood up, marching over to the fountain so that her back was facing Lilia. Lilia sprung up and dashed over to her, grabbing her shoulders and turning her around, a bit perturbed at her sudden burst of bitterness.

"Seriously, Crystal! Where is all this coming from?"

Crystal didn't look into her eyes, but she was smiling a bit of an evil smile. Lilia was starting to wonder if maybe she was bipolar. She pondered it, eventually accepting that she was just being a drama queen, as usual. Crystal pressed her tongue into her cheek, her neck rocking back and forth.

"In all seriousness, Zylan does _not _want to be king."

Lilia's eyes flew up to the sky, and when they came back down they were full of vexation. Her grip tightened on Crystal's shoulders, making her arms throb with suspended circulation. She thought that the knight might give her a few bruises.

"Crystal, if you're kidding around I swear-

"Lilia, why would I possibly kid you on this? Does Zylan LOOK like he wants to be a king?" Crystal inquired, completely serious. Her spindly arms were hurting too much for her to delay possible freedom.

Lilia's eyes turned to slits, and she backed away, loosening her grip on Crystal so that she could nurse her tender arms. Shaking her head, she thought severely about the situation at hand.

"But…why wouldn't he want to…? He'll get everything he's ever wanted—and more…"

The young princess laughed, throwing a hand to her mouth, concealing her pleasure. One would never think her to be devious just by looking at her, but inside her head lay a mind that was filled with clever plans and plots. She also happened to be a great actress, spinning the world on her fingertips and ruling all of the people around her.

"No one ever gets exactly what they want. I mean look at me, I want to be the ruler of this kingdom more than anyone ever has wanted anything, and I want a female to reign over this kingdom like tradition states, and I want my father to stop being such an idiot, but none of that is ever going to happy, Lily. No one ever gets what they want."

There had been an angry edge to her voice, even though she had been laughing about the matter earlier. She continued her speech.

"I don't even understand why you chose to love my fool of a brother! For goodness sakes, AVAILABLE men send you letter after letter asking for your hand in marriage-

"My father burns them all and then tries to hunt these men down," Lilia interrupted, putting up a knowing finger.

"That's not the point. The point is, there are so many people on Gaia who would just _love _to go on a date or two with you. Look at all of the Knights of Pluto! They all dissolve into nothing but babbling idiots when you are in a few feet of radius with them! Especially Charles, who is rumored to be the next Captain!"

Crystal nudged her at this, eyebrows jumping up and down wildly. Lilia rolled her eyes.

"Do you not understand that my father nearly kills all those men for even giving me a look? Besides, they are all idiots anyway, even when I'm not around. And I'm surely not going to follow in my mother's footsteps and fall in love with the captain of the army!"

"Hey, you should be grateful for that! You wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for them falling hopelessly in love with one another."

Lilia snorted.

"Even still, I wouldn't be going through this wretched pain right now," She told Crystal, shaking her head in disgust at herself, "who am I kidding? I could never perform my duties and have a mate at the same time anyway, let alone Zylan."

Crystal started to giggle at a response that was nowhere near humorous.

"What? Did I say something funny?" Lilia snapped, glaring at her friend.

"For the future General of Alexandria, you sure are dense!"

Lilia raised an eyebrow, realizing that Crystal had changed the conversation about Zylan on her, and very sneakily, too, just to get in her bit about wanting to be queen. She had never told her exactly why Zylan didn't want to be king.

"You'd better tell me what you're up to."

"Hehehe!" Crystal laughed, skipping over back to the waters as if she were a little girl.

"Crystal, you little-

Lilia chased her to the lake, skittering to her side and grabbing her shoulders again, shaking the princess half to death. Crystal laughed like a mad woman while being shook, clearly enjoying the thrill.

"Would you just tell me what's going on?!" Lilia demanded, making even more bruises on her fragile arms.

"Ok!" Crystal barked, pushing Lilia off of her with one firm push. She brushed off her skirt with elegance, and cupped her hands together, her face quite complacent. Lilia folded her arms in anticipation, tapping her foot.

"This had better be the truth. I know how you lie, you little actress," Lilia warned, complete seriousness on her face. The two girls just stood across from each other, staring. They kept staring and staring until Crystal decided to tell her story. With a deep breath, she spoke.

"See, Zylan is only becoming king because our parents are _forcing _him to. If you would've listened to me earlier, you wouldn't have had to ask twice."

Lilia nodded.

"Go on."

Crystal smirked, and continued.

"My parents are planning on resigning themselves as king and queen early to explore the world. They had apparently decided once Zylan was born that they would crown him when he turned eighteen, and they would leave him to rule while they enjoyed the rest of their young lives. My dad was never one to stay in one place for too long."

She paused, taking in Lilia's expression, which was one of slight shock, with a hint of contempt.

"Zylan has always wanted to be a knight, just like you. He never tells anyone that though, for he fears what they'll think. Well personally, I love it. Maybe if our parents would just let him be a knight, then I could…well…_you know_."

She placed a finger on her chin, and grinned widely.

"You're making this up," Lilia claimed dejectedly, pressing her arms to her cleavage. She did not want to get her hopes up, just for them to be crushed _again. _

"No, Lils, it's true!" Crystal insisted, surprisingly earnestly, running up to her grabbing her by the wrists, "I mean it. Why would I lie to you in a time such as this?"

"I don't know," Lilia said brusquely, removing Crystal from her wrists and turning away. Crystal was determined to make Lilia believe her.

"I may be manipulative sometimes, but as a true friend of yours…I promise that I'm not lying."

Lilia stayed silent, arms at her side.

"Lilia…did ever think about why Zylan always wanted to train with you when you were younger…?"

Lilia's brow furrowed, going back in her memory to the times when they would fight together, side by side. Zylan would always thoroughly enjoy himself, slashing away at Lilia with his two sharp daggers that his father gave him, and eventually his enormous double-sided sword. She vaguely remembered him talking about how he wished he could fight alongside her, but she had never thought of it as any more than a nice gesture. Soon enough, everything hit her and she turned back around to face Crystal, her eyes unseeing, unbelieving.

"He…he did always tell me about how much he wished he could fight alongside me…but I never took him seriously," Lilia recalled, and Crystal smiled a huge smile.

"Exactly. He told me the same thing, except I _did _take it seriously…quite seriously indeed."

The wind then started to blow furiously at them, almost as if it had been disturbed from its quiet rest. It blew Crystal's long hair into the air, stringy wisps floating above her head angelically. Lilia's hair stirred a bit, but it tended to stay put in its curls. The two girls eyed each other in awe, trying to believe in what they were getting at with a few explanations. Crystal's blue eyes were lit with desperate anticipation, and Lilia's green eyes were unwillingly stained with hope. Lilia' lips parted to speak, becoming instantly dry and chapped in the wind.

"It all makes sense now…" He voice rung out, floating over to Crystal's ears in a beautiful sound. Crystal nodded, happy that Lilia finally understood.

"I hope you know that you're going to be made the General the day he gets crowned. Your parents are getting to be a bit too old to fight in the Alexandrian Army. So, here, you have a double-bummer."

She slowly stepped up to Lilia and got real close to her face, her breathing uneven.

"And the biggest bummer about all of this is…he likes you back," Crystal whispered to her causing Lilia to stop breathing, "and he tells me how much he cares about you all the time. The only thing that is keeping him away from you is his royal duties. And that is the truth—the truth that you were too blind to see."

Flabbergasted beyond belief, Lilia's head started to become light. The night seemed a little colder on her skin and a little brighter to her eyes. She swayed, almost falling over in surprise, but caught herself just in time, looking to Crystal, waiting for her to say "Kidding!". Crystal stared back at her, completely serious. Lilia could not believe what she had just heard. Everything around her started to become unreal, spinning mercilessly.

"…Really? You mean…he…_cares about me?"_

"Of course he does!" crystal exclaimed, raising her hands up to the heavens, "I mean, consider all the things he's said and done for you! Finally, _finally _you get a clue."

Lilia tilted her head, focusing on the dismal color of the bricks below. Even the disgusting walkway didn't seem as grimy now that she was regaining her faith in life. She thought about a future with him, and how they could fight together, side by side, protecting Alexandria, always. She would be his queen, and he could be her king. Together they would stand by the doors and protect the real king or queen, always smiling ever so subtly at each other, always knowing.

"If you could somehow convince our parents that you two are in love…there's a chance that maybe…just _maybe_…you two could be together!"

Though it shined very nicely in her head, the vision crashed down and burned when Lilia pictured the throne, empty. She glanced up at Crystal, troubled.

"But…who will rule Alexandria…?" Lilia asked, knowing that if they fell in love, there was no way he could be king.

Crystal beamed at Lilia in that instant, biting her lower lip, her eyes glowing with passion.

"I will. I will be Queen."

Lilia could see the want and the need in Crystal's eyes as she said this, and decided that she needed to do something about the whole mess. Zylan wanted to be a knight, but was going to be king, and Crystal wanted so badly to be queen, but couldn't be because of her brother, even though he didn't even want royalty. And Lilia had loved him, but couldn't have him because he was taking a chance at a miserable life. These were things that Lilia absolutely could not let go, for the very simple reason that she had a chance, if even small, to set things straight—to set things the way they were supposed to be. If she at least tried to get things right…maybe they didn't have to crash and burn after all. Maybe they could all live the happy lives they've always wanted to. The chance seemed too good to pass up. Lilia smiled at Crystal, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Crystal…you're…you're brilliant!"

That was all Lilia could say before Crystal dashed up to her and gave her a great big bear hug. They hugged each other tightly, so thankful that the other one existed for the sake of their future happiness.

"We have to…we have to plan this out!" Lilia said after breaking from the hug, running to the other side of the dock in excitement, and running back.

"Yes—but first let's calm ourselves…" Crystal told her slyly, sitting on the bottom-most set of dirty steps. Lilia immediately sat beside her, not taking her eyes off of her. Crystal took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling before speaking. Though Lilia always made a point to act as mature as possible, her sixteen-year-old self could not help but shine through.

"Ok…so you know we have to tell Zylan about this because it won't work without him. You have to convince him that the plan will work so he'll at least give you a shot. Then, you can work your magic on him, and then…well, you know."

Lilia nodded excitedly.

"Then, it's quite simple…you and Zylan REBEL! Ok, I know that sounds a bit rough, but-

"No, no, it's good," Lilia assured her, gesturing for her to continue. She had always loved the idea of a good old rebellion, just like in the novels she read while being tutored at a young age. Lilia loved indulging herself in stories of war, soldiers, death, tragedy and rebellion. Though she was not one for the drama of it all, she loved the realistic idea, and it made her whole body tremble with intoxication.

"Ok. What you'll have to do—you and Zylan that is—you'll have to go against the crowning on the day of. You'll have to profess your love to the whole country," She put a hand to her forehead dramatically, "and then, they either accept you or…I guess you'll just have to run away together!"

Lilia shivered at this, thinking of how her parents would react.

"I think I want to make a goal to convince people that we are in love, and that Zylan can be a knight, and that-

"I would be a great queen!" Crystal finished, putting her hands to her chest, flashing her dreaming eyes towards the sky.

"Exactly! The only thing is…you have to act like you don't know about this plan, or else they'll never let you be queen. You have to act repulsed, like you had no idea what was going on."

"Don't worry. I'm a great actress. Pretending like I care about my brother being a great king will be a piece of cake!" She exclaimed, snapping both of her fingers.

"Good. So then, on our parts, we have to somehow convince everyone, and I mean everyone, that we are meant to be together, and then maybe…" Lilia trailed off, looking at Crystal for approval.

"…Just maybe…"

"They'll let us have what we want!" The two sixteen year olds squealed in unison, embracing each other once more. Lilia could feel Crystal's warmth and excitement through her glowing skin, and it was enough to make her smile even more. Not only would the plan get her what she always wanted, it would give Crystal what she always wanted, too. Nothing could have been better to Lilia.

"Ok, well, I'm going to head off to bed now. I don't need the whole royal guard looking for me…" Crystal told Lilia, breaking the hug and getting up off of the ground, brushing off her dress and walking towards the castle.

"Crystal, wait!" Lilia called after her, jutting her hand after the beautiful princess. Crystal twisted around on one heel to face her, looking like she was anticipating Lilia's call.

"Yes?" She asked in her soprano voice, laced with pleasure.

Lilia grinned ever so softly, and put her hand up as if to give her a high-five.

"Thanks."

Crystal just laughed, and waltzed her way back to the castle, raven hair flowing behind her like a dream, and much like one she was gone in an instant, leaving Lilia to herself under the dark, starry sky. At this point, Lilia started to wonder if maybe the whole night _was_ just a dream, or if Crystal was telling lies to get what she's always desired. You just never knew with that girl.

So, shrugging to herself, she got up and walked to the castle in bliss, hoping a fairytale ending would soon be hers, and that it wasn't some cruel hoax created by the fates.

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_Her eyes fluttered open in shock. The room was blurry—all she could make out were colors, most of them bold reds and golden yellows. She could feel the anxious thump of her heart in her chest, and the shaking of her toes and fingers. There were nerves shaking her to the core, but she could not understand exactly why. She wondered where she was, and why she was not at home._

_Eventually, she was able to focus in on the ceiling, just like she would in her own room. This time, there was no feather-shaped pattern on the ceiling, but rather it was smooth, high and red. She batted her unaccustomed eyes in confusion._

"_Where am I?"_

_Sitting up, she furiously observed the room, her head jerking back and forth. Nothing was familiar to her. She had seemed to be in a study of some sort, a workplace, or possibly a bedroom. The walls of the room were dark red and the carpets were golden. She was lying on a bed that was draped in blood red, satin sheets that she could feel underneath her trembling fingertips. They were so soft and silky that one would suspect that the person who slept in them was wealthy. In front of her was a mahogany desk, and the black leather chair in front was turned towards her, almost like it was inviting her to sit. The brown desk glared at her with a rich orange light, making her eyes travel over to her right, where there was a large fire burning in a charcoal fireplace, the orange-red flames dancing into her vision, seeming like they were mocking her. She turned her gaze to the left and her eyes fell upon a portrait of a middle-aged man, one who looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't seem to get a firm grasp on who the mysterious man was. She squinted at him, trying to wrack her brain, knowing that she'd seen him somewhere before. After countless attempts to figure out who the man was, she turned towards the opposite side of the room in defeat, focusing on the fire once more. It continued to make fun of her, sneering, brightly glowing in her face. All of a sudden, there was a glint at the fire's left, and she quickly looked over to see a mirror and a make-up table, much like the one she had in her own room. Finally seeing something of some familiarity, she hopped off the bed and dashed over to the mirror and looked into it, inquiring it of her appearance._

_The woman that looked back at her baffled her._

_She had long, chestnut brown hair that locked itself into large curls at the bottom. Her face gave off a peachy glow that was invaded with red. Her lips were perfectly full on both the top and the bottom, and her eyes were a reddish-brown with a purple tint. Her cheekbones jutted out of her face, making the sharp curves of bone visible. She had seemed to be wearing her mother's guard outfit, too. Touching her face, she let in a large gasp._

_Lilia was her mother._

_Except, she had two eyes that were big, bright and filled with innocence. Lilia wasn't used to seeing her mother's eyes (or eye) filled with such joy and hope. Lilia (or her mother) looked absolutely exuberant. Shaking her head in disbelief, Lilia backed away from the mirror and tried to get as far away as possible._

"_What is going on?!" She asked herself in panic, stopping at an open door she bumped into while walking away from the mirror._

"…_What's this?" _

_She turned around to see a door, slightly open, facing her. Her eyes turned to slits immediately, and putting a firm hand on the door, yanked it open to see what was on the outside. Glaring back at her in its eerie darkness was a hallway that was completely pitch black except for candles on each side of the walls, all lined up perfectly. They only helped so much, for you could barely see the walls and nothing of what was ahead. The wallpaper that was perfectly laid on the wall was a pale pink color with purple stripes running down it and small orange flowers for obvious décor. Lilia thought it was strange to see such a pretty wall in such a dark hallway. She glanced behind herself, checking the room one last time to see if anyone was in there. When she found that there wasn't, she put all her attention back into the suspicious hallway._

"_Hello!" She called into it, echoing all the way into its depths. She shivered a bit, and shifted her weight, waiting for a response of some sort. There was nothing but silence. Lilia started to get angry, but more than anything she was trying to keep herself from the fear of the unknown._

"_Hello?!" She shouted again, except this time more desperately._

"_**You'll never amount to anything!" **__an old man's voice barked back at her. Soon, she found his voice constantly echoing in her head, as if she had gone mad._

"_**You'll never amount to anything! You'll never amount to anything! You'll never amount to anything!"**_

"_Ahhhhhh!!" Lilia shrieked, and knelt down onto the red carpet of the hallway, covering her ears with her hands. The man's voice kept bellowing in her ears, ruthlessly chipping away at her sanity._

"_Stoooooop!" Lilia shouted, getting to her feet and sprinting down the dark hallway, tears flying out of her fearful eyes, "please!"_

_The walkway seemed like it kept on going forever and ever, and Lilia wondered how long she had been running. The voice had ceased once she fled, but she was afraid of what might be at the end of the strange corridor. _

_Once she had finally gotten to the end of the hallway, she found herself in the company of a dead end with just a wooden chair, a large candle attached to the wall above it. Its flame danced and laughed at Lilia, and its dim light lit up the chair. She stared at it quizzically and broke into a cold sweat. There had been something seriously wrong._

"_I…I don't understand this…" She thought to herself, shaking her head in disbelief, "How am I going to get out?"_

"_**You're not." **__A deep, evil voice answered. Lilia was stunned to hear someone answer a question that she didn't even say aloud and she was just about to rearrange her stance when a large hand slapped itself over her mouth. Not anticipating the attack, Lilia bit her tongue extremely rigorously, blood flying out onto the mystery man's fingers, trickling down them hitting the floor with a dripping sound._

"_**Maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings!" **__he panted into her ear, the mist of his breath making her cartilage damp._

_Eyes wide and searching for escape, Lilia tried to move, but for some strange reason she couldn't. She found herself numb, not able to defend herself. The man roughly threw her down into the chair, Lilia's arms hitting the seat of it just in time to save her from a concussion. She heard the shrill sound of a blade being unsheathed, and the hair on her back rose little by little, goosebumps soon conquering the whole of her skin. She knew what was going to befall on her, and her arms struggled to hold her up any longer._

"_**Hold still!" **__he yelled at her with a deep, cruel laugh._

_Lilia felt a sharp, painful sensation travel across her back in a diagonal fashion, and afterwards an extremely excruciating stinging across a wound. Warm, thick blood slid down her back, staining her mother's torn, white over jacket, making the ripped rose insignia invisible through the dark red secretion. The man's hand then violently grabbed her arm and whipped her around to face him, Lilia's back on the seat of the chair, slumping and weak. Her arm cracked in surprise, and she knew he had broken a bone. He grabbed her on either side of her chin with just a hand and pulled her forward with force. Lilia opened her eyes slightly to see what the man looked like, but it was too dark to see him clearly. However, she did see him bring up his blade to her face, a sharp, sodden dagger, her blood smeared all over it. He waved it back and forth at her, almost like a mother's finger at her small child. Blood splashed off of it and onto her complexion in many infinitesimal dots._

"_**You…you're just like her. Just like you're mother," **__he told her, his rancid breath climbing up her nose. Tears were pouring out of her eyes at this point, and she started to scream, her voice pleading and desperate._

"_Let me go…let me go!!!" Lilia croaked, starting to hyperventilate through her tears._

_The man just laughed a quiet, soft laugh._

"_**Oh…I'm not letting you go…Lilia!"**_

_He slowly put the blade to her cheek, resting it against the peach skin, blood coming out at the site of the blade, rolling down her skin, more spattering sounds meeting the ground._

"_Urrghhh…" Lilia gurgled deeply._

"_**Calm down princess…it will all be over soon…"**_

_At this, he ran the blade down her cheek and off of the corner of her chin, cutting her so deep that she could feel the gash in her jawbone, making her scream bloody murder. He brought the blade back up, stained with tears and blood, all mixed into one solution. Some of it dripped into Lilia's parted, whimpering mouth, and the taste made her cough vigorously, her stomach contents surfacing to her throat, vomit spilling all over her. The man jumped away, shaking the vomit off of his filthy hands._

"_**Ughhh! So now you want to vomit on me? I'll give you something to vomit about!"**_

_He creeped back over to her and loomed, his knife ready to rip skin. The light of the flame above her danced on the waiting blade, snickering at her once again in her hopeless state, laying lifelessly on the edge of the chair, stained with her blood._

"_Damn…you…" Lilia muttered before the dagger slammed down and mutilated her lower lip, blood spouting out like a water fountain and splashing the man's grime-covered face with red dots. Lilia fell to the floor defeated. The pain and the sight of the knife destroying her face was too much for her to handle. She felt his hand grab a hold of her hair on the back of her head and he pulled her up by it, scalp burning in agony. Lilia's tears were now flooding uncontrollably, dripping down onto her collarbone and neck. The man shook her in a berserk way, giving her an unimaginably painful headache, hair ripping out of their roots, all tangled throughout his grasping fingers. Lilia opened her eyes to see him staring right at her, his face clear in her slightly clouded vision. He smirked at her, his features indescribable, his tongue soon running over his own lips as he watched her blood dribble over hers. His eyes were wide with fascination at all of the blood, and how it covered her spent body. He seemed to want more, so he went in for the kill, laughing manically._

"_**Here I come!"**_

_That was all the man said before he lunged his knife straight into Lilia's right eye._

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Daggertrepe: I hope that wasn't too graphic for all of you! You'll find out what that scene was all about next chapter, so hang on! If you read this chapter, please review with feedback so I can make the next chapter even better, and so that I can continue. Thanks, guys!


	4. Victorious

Daggertrepe: I finally get to write a new chapter after weeks or stressful work. So I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

**Song of the chapter: Untouched and Intact by The Honorary Title**

**Note: I know that they didn't really have shampoo back in these times, but in FFIX, let's pretend that they did.**

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It certainly wasn't the first time Lilia woke up screaming.

She could only see her sheets tremble softly over her cold, long legs, the pink silk light shimmering in the sunlight from the window, and her hands grasping them desperately, her dark green eyes bulging with horror. She didn't want to look anywhere else, for the fear that she may not be in her room was overwhelming. She squeezed her eyes shut, not even wanting to look directly below her.

"_**Just do it," she thought.**_

Taking a deep breath and calming herself, she popped open one eye and glanced around the room. Sure enough, all the same furniture, colors, shapes and sizes of her room were right in front of her. Though they were extremely blurry due to her horrid morning-vision, she let out a sigh of relief, glad to realize that what had just happened to her was, indeed, just a dream. She noticed that she was clutching her silk sheets as if they were about to fall off of the bed, and they clung to her sweaty body insistently. She peeled them off and left them an awry mess of shiny fabric on her bed as she fled to her bathroom to take a bath, thinking that maybe the warm sensation of flowing water would calm her down and ease her mind's doubts. Her feet went _fap fap fap_ as she made her way onto the pink tile floor and turned the right water knob in the bathtub, water rushing out and hitting the marble of the bathtub floor, the first drops soaring in air. She then turned the left knob to activate the hot water, so the temperature would be balanced out. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she glanced up to look at her bathing products, expecting to see her shampoo and bar of soap. Surely enough, the shampoo was there, but her soap dish was empty. Her brow furrowed.

"_But…I just opened a new bar about a week ago…" _she pondered, slowly observing her surroundings to make sure that it didn't fall out of its place. After she searched every nook and cranny of the bathroom for it, she shrugged and walked out of the bathroom and over to her bedside drawer, kneeling down to open it up. She placed her hand on the brass handle of the bottom slot and pulled, revealing its contents. In the drawer were always her personal hygiene products, including washcloths, shampoos, perfumes and of course, her bars of custom made rose-scented soaps. Lilia's eyes grew wide when her vision hit the products inside, because there weren't nearly enough soaps in the drawer; about 10, when she thought she had about 15 or 20. Tiny hairs rose up on her neck as her heart began its usual angry dance and after grabbing a bar of soap, she slammed the drawer shut with one swift motion, making a noise loud enough to wake the entire kingdom up, the whole piece of furniture shaking like a leaf. Her hair messy and tangled, she stomped back over to the bathroom, the bar of soap closed tightly in her fist, slamming the door behind her. Realizing that the water was still running from the faucet and into the tub, she grabbed the drain cork from the ledge of the tub and wedged it into the water hole roughly, thinking only a second later that she may not be able to get it back out again. Flipping her hair to dismiss the notion, she placed both hands on the wrapper of the soap bar and tore off its pink papery contents with ease, little bits of it gently floating down to the tiles. She figured she'd clean them up later, too angry to do anything nicely or properly. So, with all of that, she glided into the tub full of hot water and immersed herself underneath.

"_I'm going to find out who took them."_

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"Oh my goodness, look at everyone here together like this! Having me over for breakfast was a splendid idea, Garnet," Eiko cooed.

Queen Eiko Carol Fabool Carrey of Lindblum was Zylan's "aunt", and a bloodline relative of Queen Garnet, and though they had no idea exactly how they were related, they just assumed that they were sisters. She was a woman of normal height, about 5'5, and had dark, short purple hair that came down to her ears. She had green-blue eyes eerily similar to Zylan's, a circular face, and thin, light pink lips. She was never seen wearing the same dress, and on this particular morning she was wearing an aqua-green dress with a tight neck sleeve adorned with buttons and lace, as with the body of dress that remained tight and lacy around her slender figure. In the middle of her chest lay a rounded emerald in a socket and on her head sat a crown of silver with gold and platinum engraved designs of Lindblumese origin. Hands folded in her lap, waiting for the Quens to bring out the food; she certainly looked the part of a queen.

Lilia herself had been dressed in the usual clothes she trained in; a lilac colored jacket that had a small cape attached to the back and it split down the middle of her chest, rendering her decent cleavage. The jacket was held around her body with white crossed laces where button holes would be, while it split down into four sections at the bottom with four thick, tailored straps of the material hanging down, two at her front and two at her backside, angled at the bottoms to make them look as if they were swords themselves. On her lower section she wore tall black leggings up to her waist and all the way down to her boots, which were lilac colored also and came up to her shins. The boots had large, dark purple stripes going across each ankle, and the bottoms elevated her height with an inch of purple rubber. Around her waist and under her jacket was a large brown belt with a buckle and from it hung her sword when training. Encompassing her arms were tight, black suede gloves with large sections of fabric missing around her forearms, making cylindrical shapes. The gloves ended at the base of her fingers, purple rings attached to where the glove should have continued, making the gloves heavier on her hands. To keep the gloves together she attached lipstick-shaped, wrap-around purple straps that buttoned to her forearms.

Eiko had been sitting across from Zylan, who sat on Zidane's end of the grand, dark wooden table. Because of her presence, Steiner, Beatrix and Lilia had to move down a seat. Everything had remained the same on Zylan's side of the table, with Zylan, Crystal, and Zane. On the opposite side of the short end of the table sat Garnet.

Queen Garnet was dressed in a white strapless dress that eventually changed to blue as the dress got closer and closer to the floor, much like a gradient. On her hands were matching gloves, and on the top of her extremely long raven hair she wore a twisted silver wreath of sorts with beads that connected two platinum roses together on either side of her head and supported two aquamarines on the plane of her forehead. Crystal was the spitting image of her, except Queen Garnet had beautiful, warm, golden brown eyes and slightly milder features. Garnet's cheekbones were not as protruding and her lips were not as thick. Crystal's features were harsher, but very lovely nonetheless.

The King, Zidane, was much more casual in his daily dress. He wore a turquoise vest over a white shirt with brown belts as hems and a lace neckpiece with a blue strip of leather to tie it all up. On his waist her wore an oddly arranged light brown belt, and underneath there were ill-fitted, baggy blue jeans that disappeared into light brown boots that were much too large for his feet. On his hands were murky gray gloves with turquoise cuffs that snapped shut at a murky gray diamond shaped button. His tail protruded from his jeans which he had cut a hole in. Beatrix told Lilia that he never changed outfits; rather, he had the same outfit washed every night and repaired if torn, ripped, or otherwise damaged. You could tell he'd been wearing them for the longest time, though, because all the blues, grays and browns were fading away.

And then there was little Zane, who looked almost exactly like Zidane. He was a troublesome boy of the age of 8, an unexpected child for the king and queen.

When he was born, all Lilia could remember were her parents constantly crowding around him, generously waiting hand and foot on the queen and her infant. Lilia wasn't fond of the adulation and the constant attention to the boy and not herself, so she consistently threw tantrums at her parents to grab their awareness. At one point she even threatened to jump off the third story balcony in Garnet's room, and stood atop the stone railing, her arms behind her back. Her dad watched her in absolute petrifaction, bellowing for her to get down. It wasn't until Beatrix entered the room that she finally let herself fall. As soon as she was out of view, Beatrix and Steiner both ran to the edge in horror. Looking down, they saw a beaming Lilia, laying on a feather mat with one arm behind her head, the other waving at them. Because of this episode, she was summoned to her room for a multitude of weeks. Still, she had managed to reel them in.

Though he wreaked havoc on much of Lilia and Crystal's life, Zane had been a rather darling little fellow. He had light blonde hair that hung down to his shoulders without being tied back, so it was shaggy and rather messy looking. He had sparkling, ice blue eyes and a sweet smile. Instead of making him dress as a noble, his mother let him get away with just a vest and some jeans like his father. Zidane had described Zane as "a prodigy of greatness in the making". Garnet had described him as juvenile, just before he locked her into an argument about what is proper and what is not.

Zylan, on the other hand, was a bit of a more punctual, prim and proper male. He, too, liked to dress casual, but would sometimes give into the charm and glitz of being royal, thus putting on his dark blue noble's suit for the occasion of his favorite aunt dining with him for a morning's meal. It was a dark jacket with buttons running down the edges and cuffs, with puffy lace at the end of each sleeve, making him look slightly feminine, for he couldn't handle the amount of accessory he donned. Underneath was an aloof white dress shirt, tucked into dark blue, tight pants, ending at flat black leather shoes. Usually, he would wear the same thing as his father and brother.

"Well, we haven't greeted you in a while, Eiko, and we all felt that we would treat ourselves to a pleasant morning with you in our company," Garnet responded, mirroring Eiko's body language and grinning. Eiko waved it off, her green-gloved hand drifting up to her rosy lips, a chuckle escaping through her fingers.

"It is my pleasure. I am always overjoyed to see my nieces, nephews-

She turned her head to the family of knights.

"-and of course, Steiner, Beatrix and Lilia."

She gave them a short smile, her eyes narrowed, and turned back to the queen.

"Tell me, dear Garnet, what is happening between Alexandria and the 'Kingdom of Darkness'? Are they presenting you with any more problems?"

"_Oh brother!" _Lilia thought.

The "Kingdom of Darkness"__was a recently built kingdom west of Alexandria, resting against the Trenian Mountains, named after gossiping and superstitious townspeople. Strangely enough, the kingdom started its construction about a year after Lilia was born, and it had no towns. It was a dim castle, its color black, the skies surrounding it equally gloomy. The theory for years has been that the castle was so dark because the shadows of the mountain shielded it from any light. The people of Alexandria were at first threatened by this strange castle appearing out of nowhere, but backed down once their advances of communication were turned down. The man who lived in the castle was assumed to be wealthy, but extreme private and antisocial. He never made contact with Alexandria in all the years he resided there. Not a soul even knew his name. Once, an unknown character was seen roaming around the castle walls, suspiciously trying to climb up walls and peek around corners until Steiner caught him and threw him into the Ceebell. Garnet had assumed this man be from 'The Black Castle', as she liked to call it, and warranted a warning to the kingdom. The man never sent back a response, so it was accepted that he and the people living in his tower would leave Alexandria alone. But the populace still had their suspicions. Lilia thought it all to be blasphemy and superstition. She felt him to be a wealthy man just minding his own business. She thought that if Zidane and Garnet had such a problem with it, they should have taken the kingdom down years ago, or stopped the construction near Alexandrian territory. Her parents never seemed to think that the man or his people were much of a threat, for they had been so confident in their abilities and in the army. So everyone just let it go.

"I mean, I can't believe you're still letting that wretched castle stand tall!" Eiko chided.

"We just don't want to cause any trouble-and no, they have not given us any grief for ages. And I would prefer that you called it "The Black Castle" rather than that other ridiculous name."

"The Kingdom of Darkness is actually quite fitting. I mean, the castle is quite eerie. Besides, who knows when that bizarre man might start a riot?"

"Eiko," Garnet whined.

"What of it? I'm just pressing the absolute truth."

"We're just not hugely concerned about it, that's all. The man seems to go about his business."

"He could be brewing a scheme!"

Eiko made a motion of stirring a cauldron.

"Well, until we get word of something, we'll let him go." Garnet said abruptly, ending the conversation. Lilia knew that the last thing she wanted was another war or lose soldiers and friends, and that was probably why she never interfered with the building of the castle in the first place, despite Zidane's pleading to do something about it. Lilia even remembered hearing a conversation about it about two years after the start of the construction. It was one of her earliest memories.

* * *

_ "**But…who knows what they could be doing! Why would this man build a castle right next to ours if he wasn't planning something? And how did he even find the people to help him…and the resources!" Zidane yelled at his wife.**_

_"**We will not be interrupting this man and his followers. They will do as they please."**_

_"**But, Gar-**_

_"**That is final. Until they start to bother us-**_

_"**But why should we wait that long? Honey, these could be seriously awful people! I mean, who names their castle 'The Kingdom of Darkness?' This is all nuts!"**_

_"**That is the townspeople talking, like they always do. All they do is talk. We will give the man and his followers the benefit of the doubt. We always give people the benefit of the doubt. That is the Alexandrian way."**_

_"**He's even building a castle on OUR territory. He can't do that!"**_

_"**The castle is in Trenian territory."**_

_"**That man and those…people are trouble. Garnet, you're making a huge mistake. You really are. I cannot send the attack on them without your consent."**_

_"**So be it. I will not start another war."**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

That was all Lilia could remember, but she was amazed she could retain information from that far back. She acknowledged the fact that she had a great memory, but still found it to be completely and utterly amazing. It was a talent.

"Well, my recruits are ready if you need them!" Eiko informed her, almost jokingly.

The conversation then evolved into something completely different.

"So what's going on with our king-to-be?" Eiko asked, her hands dancing in the air to put special emphasis on what she said. Zylan just blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"He's been a spot idle as of late. I'm sure he's just mentally preparing himself for such an important role as the leader of a country," Steiner cut in, gazing at Zylan admiringly.

"Yes, he has been. He's usually wandering around town and performing tasks for himself, but all he's been doing recently is pacing around the castle in his own dream world," Garnet added.

Eiko's face went from being extremely plain to being particularly merry in just a small number of seconds.

"Oh, he's just nervous," She told all of them, waving it off, her cheeks becoming rosier and rosier.

Lilia just kept her visual attention on the table cloth, leisurely picking pieces of small string off of the green tablecloth. She knew where the conversation was being directed, and she didn't take pleasure in continuing to listen.

"Zylan's got everything in the bag. There's no reason for him to be nervous!" Zidane snorted from across the table, his legs crossed and his arms folded. In Lilia's mind, he never seemed to have any proper table manners.

"Of course he should be nervous! He's got a big job ahead of him! I remember when I was first crowned queen…"

Lilia knew that Queen Eiko liked to talk, and she never seemed to know precisely when to stop running her mouth, as it would often get her in trouble or make someone angry. There would be times when she would talk and people would just leave the room because she was so horribly offensive, though she hardly realized it. This in mind, Lilia watched Eiko's mouth move in slow motion, her perfectly white, straight, square teeth hitting her bottom lip with every word, and then rising back up with thin strings of saliva still attached. They would disconnect when another word was formed, more strings steadily appearing on her evenly shaped lips, spit gathering on the corners of her tiny mouth. Lilia could do nothing but watch it run, noting every word she spouted out, and how it could have been unpleasant, especially to her. Lilia could not endure it when anyone talked about Zylan's inauguration, but listening to Eiko chatter was somewhat in a universe called unbearable.

The food was finally brought out by the Quens, and they all waddled over with their dishes and pans, setting them down on the grand table, perfectly dressed in an extravagant green tablecloth. After setting them down gently, in a swift motion they lifted up the lids and coverings to reveal the contents in their depths. Smoke rose out before anyone could gander at a thing.

"This morning we have frog tongue with oglop sauce and steamed yan with wrenroot glaze. Enjoy!" Quina yelled out, before signaling for his team to retreat back into the kitchen, minus a few servers. Lilia glanced over at her father, who turned white at the sight of oglops that had been boiled alive, and then shot a glance at her mother, who rubbed Steiner on his rusty, durable back, throwing Lilia a pained expression.

"Yan would be the most reasonable thing to consume, Steiner," Beatrix whispered in his ear, and he absent-mindedly nodded, revulsion remaining on his face as he continued to gape at the oglops.

Even silverware clanking on plates and full mouths would not stop Eiko from droning on. Lilia dug into her food, trying only to think about the unique taste of oglops rather than what Eiko was saying, which was turning uglier and uglier by the second.

"Zylan is going to make a fine, fine king," Eiko noted before a surprising pause. Lilia sighed in relief at the notion that Eiko might have closed her mouth for the time being.

"Oh! Has he found a suitor yet?"

Lilia had hoped too soon.

The whole room grew quiet. Looks were exchanged between Beatrix and Steiner, then between the king and queen. They all seemed quite perplexed.

"Err…what exactly do you mean?" Zidane asked, a fork-impaled oglop resting just below his mouth.

Eiko's eyes scrolled over everyone at the table, looking for answers. Nobody had any for her.

"Well, I mean…has Zylan found…_a wife?"_

The word came out painfully sharp and slow, at least to Lilia. She quickly turned her attention to the king and queen, her head playing ping pong between the two pale faces.

"W-Well…" Garnet began hesitantly.

"Ohhh, I see!" Eiko interrupted, throwing a stick-straight hand up in front of her, "You haven't even begun looking! Garnet, you know that is an essential part of becoming a king!"

"Eiko, it really is not…I mean, for the longest time I didn't have a husband, and I was queen…"

"Yes, but during the slow time of Zidane's disappearance I recall you looking for suitors, arranged by Beatrix and Steiner, no?"

Garnet opened her mouth to say something, then immediately closed it. Her eyes drifted to Zidane, who was just as confused as she was, then to Beatrix and Steiner, who solemnly gazed elsewhere in the room.

"Garnet, now you know he needs to-

"I don't think he's ready for that," Zidane said quickly, nodding over to Zylan, "Are you son?"

Everyone's eyes were plastered on Zylan at this point, and he turned scarlet. He looked down at his plate and made an odd shape with his mouth. An unusual groan escaped his lips.

"Errrughh…uh…I don't…think so…"

Eiko shook her head in disgust.

"You can't be a lonely king, you must have a wife!"

"How is he going to find a wife in two months?" Zidane asked, clearly agitated.

"Easily. Just look for a maiden around town, it's not hard!"

"Eiko," Garnet began.

"Garnet, you know it's the truth. It's common royal knowledge and _tradition_!"

"_Since when did she become such a diplomat?" _Lilia thought, rolling her eyes. She sized up the room for some disapproval, some objection, but there was nothing. Her mother was silent. Her father was silent. The king and queen were silent. Even Crystal and Zane were quiet.

Worst of all, Zylan was quiet. Lilia couldn't live that down. He gaped at all of them, one at a time, their faces all contemplative and deep in though. Lilia shook her head in disbelief at the behavior, for she knew they were all starting to agree with her.

"_Zylan should not be force to find a wife. This is ridiculous!"_

So, in a completely agitated state, Lilia rose up from the table, pushing her chair in and half-making her way across the room before Beatrix raised her concerns.

"Lilia, where would you be heading? You have not even properly excused yourself."

Lilia turned back, scowling at each and every person at the table.

"I don't feel very well. I'll be in my room."

And with such words, she stomped out of the dining hall and made her way upstairs to her room, leaving behind a confused Beatrix and Steiner, who exchanged worried glances before Eiko stared to drawl on once more.

"That girl…what has gotten into her?" Eiko asked herself, eyes yonder to the sky, hands erect at her face.

* * *

Lilia slammed the door behind her, dark curly hair soaring with the strapping wind exerted by the force of her back-handed push. The next thing she knew, her face hit her pillow softly, making a _pft _sound and the light behind her lids vanished. Hands trembling softly with anger, she rose herself up in a half push-up and thrust her face towards the ceiling, howling with fury, her jaw clenched and her eyes popping out of her skull.

"RRRRRAAAGGGHHHHHH!" Lilia screamed through her teeth, and in one swift motion she was off of her bed and her feet were hitting the floor with a _slam, _shaking all light-weighted items in her room until they were unsteady. Before she knew what she was doing, her arms grabbed a hold of her pillow and threw it against the wall. A shrill hum escaped her mouth and she fell back onto the bed, pounding it down with her fists.

"_I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!!!"_

About a minute later, she abruptly stopped, realizing that people might be able to hear her throwing a girlish fit of temper. She lay stagnant on her bead, breathing quietly and listening for footsteps. After a while, she removed her face from her pillow and looked out the window, assuming that it was okay to move around a bit. With a creak, she lifted her body off of her mattress and floated gently to the window, resting her thin fingers against the hard, cold window sill, her red painted nails glowing in the light of the morning sky, breeze tickling her cheeks. Letting out a breath slowly, her saddened eyes wandered to the ground directly below her window, a frown forming as she looked at the scene below. There, right below her window, Charles and David, two Pluto Knights, were playing a game with one another in the courtyard.

"Lilia, oh, Lilia!" She heard Charles shout, although he didn't notice she was right there, watching from her presently open window, "my fairest and dear Lilia!"

David was in stitches.

"The fairest maiden in all of Alexandria!" David added, still laughing.

"Whose mother has one eye-

"And some nice legs-

"And very big-

"Hair!"

They hooted and hollered with amusement, Charles slapping his knees and David dropping to the ground, holding his stomach.

"And-and," Charles continued, wiping his eyes with his forefinger, "Her father has the largest permanent scowl on the face of Gaia!"

"But how exactly did she turn out to be so…hot?" David asked in between chuckles.

"Well, she is the daughter of _General Beatrix…" _He held, emphasizing the word "Beatrix".

"Mmm, she was awfully fine looking back in the day," David commented, lying in the grass, his hands behind his head.

"She really was," Charles agreed, lying down beside him, "Don't you sometimes wonder though, how the Captain snagged her?"

They both laid in silence for about a minute, Lilia intently listening.

"…Must've made her scream, if you know what I mean!" David blurted out, and they howled with obnoxiously loud laughter.

That had done it for Lilia, poking her head angrily out of her window to scold them.

"I heard every word you said, you idiots! Guess you'll have to face my father when he finds out what you said about my mother!" Lilia shouted, leaving them to gawp at her in complete shock as she shut the window tightly and walked away from it, heading for her bedroom door.

"Imbeciles. When I get done with my training, I'll-

There was a knock on the door and Lilia stopped in her tracks once hearing it. She hesitated, made a look around the room to see if there was a safe escape, then finally shrugged and sighed.

"Come in," She moaned, defeated.

The door creaked open to reveal a very distraught Beatrix, a frown already plastered onto her beautiful, yet aging face. Lines were evident only around her mouth. Lilia despised it when she frowned, because it made her look not only distressed, but much older.

"Lilia…I-

"I know, I acted strange at breakfast, I know," Lilia finished for her, waving her hand, her eyes moving to the ground in embarrassment.

"Well, I wanted to make certain that you were…adequate," She assured her, raising her hands up and then moving them back down to her sides. Lilia looked up and scanned her body language. The skilled and seasoned general had straightened legs held together, her arms calmly in front of her, not showing any signs of distress, dissimilar to her legs. Her neck had protruding muscles, and her lips were slightly parted, worry and care in her eyes. Lilia let out a sigh, and her lips tilted upwards in a slight smile, her eyebrows pressing inward.

"Mother, there are just some things…that I am simply not allowed to speak of. Nor do I want to."

She lounged past her mother in the doorframe, walking halfway across the deep, dark wooden floor before turning around to glance at her. She looked faintly less worried and a tad more saddened.

"Don't worry. Just go about you business. I will be fine."

Beatrix smiled a bit, composing herself.

"If you insist," Beatrix said, Lilia turning back around to walk.

"I also wanted to let you know that I will be accompanying you in the training grounds shortly. I have got a bit of a special routine for my protégées this morning. I believe that you will take pleasure in it, as will they," She told her daughter who had spun around yet again to see Beatrix placing her hands onto her hips and angling herself a bit with gravity, just like she did regularly. Lilia was glad to see that she hadn't worried her mother too much, or made her angry, which was even worse. She nodded calmly and turned to head to her destination.

* * *

Lilia's sword was swifter than lightning, profusely carving the air as if she were creating a masterpiece with only quick movements, her sword being the tool that derived such jealously from the cautious women polluting her surroundings. Her grip was firm, solid, unyielding. Mercy was non-existent with her swings, the blade of her holy sword always laughing with its simple _swoosh, _the sound enough to scare a burly man over 6'3. They watched her precision, her grace, and her passion as she swung into the air, both hands wielding it to immeasurable levels of danger, yet there was a sure and steady strength. She was in control of her actions, yet they were just enough to make the most powerful blows. Her arms upright, she slashed diagonally at the distant image of Felicia, the soldier only a rank lower than she, pretending that she had cut her face right in half. Then, she moved onto Felicia's best friend or "partner I crime", Jillian. She proceeded to take a weighty step forward on one foot, putting all of the extra pressure onto that, and using both arms to angle an upward, imaginary slash across the girl's torso. Lilia became tired of them all staring at her and the skills she clearly had a right to, the ones that were in her blood, the ones that were given to her at birth. She snickered to herself as Felicia stepped forward, sourness on her tan, freckled face, her body very outward and offending with her chest placed farther out than it should have been and her fists tightly clenched, one around her sword. Of course, being naturally gifted was _the _reason she wasn't to their likings. Felicia inched closer, Jillian right behind her and Julia, her other best friend, right behind Jillian. Felicia stopped in place close enough to smell Lilia's breath, and crossed her arms, meeting the confident gaze of the General's daughter, who was about three inches taller than her.

That had been a daily occurrence in the grassy training ground—Felicia taunting Lilia and vice versa. The large field of grass and wooden-enemies on poles was simply not big enough for the both of them.

"I hope that you aren't pretending to slash me up to the heavens. You wouldn't want to start a fight with me now would you, Lil-y? Lilia Steiner, treated with royalty just like a princess, sleeping in her own room in the castle while we sleep in the dirty, cold barracks, eating high-quality food while we eat food that is sub-par."

The way she had uttered her name had a purposeful sting, and Lilia tapered her eyes, tilting her head in the opposite direction, almost smiling.

"I was treated like that before I decided to become a knight. It was my choice to become one."

"Then they should treat you like the rest!" Felicia spat.

"Should they? It doesn't matter now, does it? I will be the general soon, anyway."

"Alright then, let's fight! Let's fight and I'll show you who is boss!" Felicia challenged, drawing her sword and positioning herself into her signature fighting stance--shoulders hunched forward, hands grasping the heavy sword, her face with a wide grimace, feet spread and planted far apart. Lilia scoffed, and brought her hand up to flip her hair.

"It's not like you would win against me anyway; I by far surpass your skill, control and leadership. In addition to this, you cannot perform white magic while I certainly can."

"Why don't you fight me then, and we'll see about that? Come on! Fight me!" Felicia challenged, her expression becoming angrier.

Lilia rolled her eyes.

"This is ridiculous. You know that you'll lose."

"Prove it, then. Prove that I'll lose."

Lilia gave her a look of complete exasperation. After a bit of a sneer and a snicker, Lilia shrugged, and raised her sword to Felicia, beckoning her to begin the battle. She could not surpass a chance to embarrass Felicia in front of all of her friends. As soon as she got into her position, Felicia had already come at her with huge growls, slashing away through air, hitting nothing as Lilia dodged her every advance with amazing agility. Not wanting to waste a moment, Lilia found a pause in between Felicia's movements and jutted her sword straight across Felicia's face like she wanted to do earlier, Felicia flying into a crowd of squealing girls. They all ran up to her and nursed her immediately, with the exception of a few of Lilia's friends, who ran over to her and patted her on the back. The majority of the girls liked Felicia better, so that was not very many. It warmed Lilia's heart to see them stare icily at her after inspecting their beloved Felicia's broken nose and bleeding face. Blood oozed out of the bridge of her nose, discolored and swollen, the girl sporting the injury knocked unconscious because of the intense blow, her arms and legs limp and hanging. Lilia inspected her work for a few minutes with a neutral face and bold crossed arms, showing her squad that she was the dominant one.

"What is going on here?" A voice rang out, and Lilia snapped her head to the arch-entrance of the training grounds, her mother walking towards the scene with Save the Queen by her side, anger building on her face. Everyone was silent as she made her way towards Felicia, and once she finally stood in front of the disheveled girl for a few seconds, taking in the situation, her hands on her hips, her voice rose once more.

"**I said, what is going on here?" **The General asked again with more force, her eyes traveling to each and every girl surrounding Felicia. The Alexandrian Knights dared not stay silent to that tone.

"M-m'am…t-there was a f-fight between…" One knight trailed off, looking to Lilia.

"**Well spit it out!"** Beatrix demanded, flipping her hair like her daughter had a few minutes ago.

"L-Lilia and Felicia had a spar!" The knight finished, quivering. Beatrix's eye widened and she adjusted herself to look at her daughter, who was on the other side of the courtyard with her hands behind her back. Beatrix frowned and quietly walked over to her, steps making a pitter-patter on the grass beneath her legendary feet.

"Lilia, what happened here?" Beatrix asked calmly, "I expect that you will endorse the absolute truth."

Lilia wavered somewhat, shifting her weight between feet. Her top set of teeth found her bottom lip and applied pressure.

"Well, mother, you see-

"That is General Beatrix to you," Beatrix corrected, jerking her head on the word 'you'.

"General…Beatrix," Lilia corrected herself with composure, "Felicia challenged me to a fight after insulting me relentlessly and I took on her challenge."

It was silent.

"Is that all?" Beatrix asked softly, her voice hardly fathomable.

"Yes." Lilia whispered, eyes down at her feet somberly, expecting a scolding. The General turned back around to Felicia and her friends and trotted along gradually, one eyebrow lifted, hands behind her back. Upon arriving, putting her hands back onto her hips, she glared endlessly at her troops, eyes burning with fire. The knights' faces became twisted with fear, not one of them brave enough to move an inch. The moment of fear for them went on for a half a minute, the General just continuing to stare them all down. Finally, they saw her mouth twitch slightly, and they knew what was coming.

"**You all know very well not to taunt your superior knights. Don't even tell me that you haven't been, because I witnessed the whole happening, right there under the arc!"** She pointed to where she made her entrance, and continued, **"I don't ever want to see something of that brand again, and if I do, the soldier who catalyzes such a scene is getting punished, by me **_**personally.**_**"**

'Personally' ran off of she lips as if a snake had said it, and the female soldiers flinched, Lilia the only one smirking. Her head yanked over to Jillian.

"**You! Take her up to the infirmary!"**

Jillian's eyes bulged.

"B-But, she's unconscious!" Jillian protested, presenting Felicia with her palms out.

Beatrix flipped her hair a laughed.

"Hahaha…**I don't care! Drag her there if you must!"**

Jillian screwed up her face and bent down to grab her friend's arms, eventually pushing up to lug her to the infirmary, tears crawling down her face as she sluggishly made her way along with her friend's body. Once she was gone, Beatrix turned swiftly to the middle of the yard and started to yell out drills. The girls got down into their positions.

"**One, two, three, ugh!" **

Performing drills like push-ups and crunches didn't faze Lilia in the slightest, though it drew sweat out of most of her comrades in arms. Once they were finished with those, they started on their one-mile jog led by Beatrix and Lilia in 75 degree weather, the soldiers collapsing in the training grounds after finishing.

"**Get up, get up!" **Beatrix ordered, even kicking a girl out of her path as she made her way to the front of the line again, resulting in a yelp of pain from the weakened soldier**, "Captain Steiner has his men run two miles a day, so this is nothing!"** One by one they all slid up with their swords under them for support, panting, their eyes half closed. Lilia was rearing and ready to go. Beatrix stood in the middle of the crowd, hands on hips, eyes intense on each and every one of her soldiers.

"Today things are going to play out a bit differently than our uniform routine…" she trailed off, taking in the stunned, yet excited reactions of her troops, "today, a demonstration will be performed."

She yanked her sword out of is sheath, and as she did so, it make a sound of metal running against metal, the sword glinting in the sunlight of the afternoon as the female general held it in front of her, the woman's eyes gleaming brighter than the Save the Queen, light bouncing off of her fading chestnut curls, accentuating all the luminosity being thrown around her. She had looked like a proud, prideful goddess of war, almost as if she knew she had already won the battle she was about to present.

"Lilia, you are to be General of Alexandria, are you not?" She questioned her daughter very seriously. Lilia was taken aback, her mouth opening slightly then tightly closing, her cheekbones and brows elevating. She didn't know exactly what her other was doing. Whispers started to circulate around her as she stared at the ground, contemplating an answer. Beatrix waited patiently for her daughter to speak.

"Yes. Yes, I am!" Lilia at last responded, stepping frontward in a daring conduct, unleashing the sword of her own possession and hoisting it to her face at a suitable angle, the sun seeming to make it holy, as an addition to the ever-present intimidating size and shape of her own broadsword. Defiantly gazing into her mother's in the eye, a minor smile crossed her lips and remained there for the army to witness. Lilia may have been overly confident in herself, but she was glad for it as she rested in her signature fighting position. Whatever her mother would have her carry out, she would achieve it with satisfaction and gladness.

"Then let us fight and see if you are truly ready," Beatrix half hissed, loud enough for the army to hear and start a war chant. All around Lilia was noise and movement, jumping and whistling, clapping and laughing. It was impossible for her to concentrate in such a state. So, taking a moment to gather herself, she elevated her sword up to the sky and held it tight in her right hand, watching the light reflect off of it and make rainbows around the courtyard. Every quieted themselves and stared at the beautiful array of colors entrancing the training ground. Everyone's face was spattered with reds, yellows, blues and greens, every eye was shining with glory, and all lips and strands of hair were lustrous, gleaming. The soldiers wondered how such a beautiful sight came to behold them, until they realized that Lilia had forced her left hand to the sword's blade, her eyes closed and brows knitted, her lengthy, dark ringlet curls hanging down her back with volume, feet apart to support the sword's weight. When she opened her eyes, a bright flash of blue light rushed out of her hand and sword, swirling around the instrument of war like water would have, except it was much faster, flowing and blue. The strands of holy light circled around and around Lilia herself, making her seem even more the idol than she was originally, her beautiful curls dancing around in the blessed blue air, sparkles and glitter flying to her every feature, making the glory seem even more unreal. Once the spell had disappeared, everyone gasped, as Lilia had turned herself back into her battle stance, challenging the General.

"A technique I learned from you my General; to bless one's own sword with holy for luck and power," Lilia stated simply, coy, "white magic does indeed have its wonderful uses."

Beatrix cocked an eyebrow.

"An ability you have inherited from my side, darling," She tightened her grip on her sword, her knuckles white, "now, let us observe how much more is inborn, let us see if you can finally surpass my power and skill!"

With that, she darted forward at her own kin, sword breaking the air around her with a _swoosh. _She swung at Lilia, who dodged her advance immediately, drawing yet another gasp from the crowd of fighters, recoiling with a slash at the General, who caught the threat with her weapon, pushing it forward with her strength to try to throw Lilia off-balance. Lilia, a little perturbed, jutted backwards with a push off of Beatrix's sword, getting back into her stance. This time around, she darted towards the General and tried for her legs with a slash, but the woman moved back just in time to readjust and catch the stroke. Swift as a flame, Lilia moved into action and made a stab at her mother's hip bone, Beatrix wrenching to the side slightly, the sword cutting into the fabric of her jacket, but not drawing any blood.

"Grrr…" Lilia growled, retreating backwards to inspect her damage. None.

"You must be hastier than that," Beatrix coaxed, running to her once again and aiming for Lilia's shoulder, the younger woman dodging the attack with flare, a few strands of her curly dark brown hair left astray from the sharp sword of the General, Lilia pressing forward onto the her sword which was already present to block an attack. They both pressed with all their strength, eliciting grunts from themselves and _ooohs _from the audience. Gazing into each other eyes with a fiery passion, Lilia spoke up.

"I'm ready, mother. I'm going to be the General…"

She had to pause in the middle of her sentence to catch her breath.

"...I promise you this."

Beatrix laughed wearily.

"You sound strained."

"Ha! As do you!"

Bound back yet again, Lilia extended her sword out to the far right in one hand, the other with palm face-out, and she hoisted the sword in a slick motion to her front and placed her left hand onto the blade, praying into the sword with quaint whispers, and moved just in time to dodge an attack from Beatrix. Turning her direction to her target, she shouted "THUNDER SLASH!" and bolted at the General with immense speed, reigning down upon her with a sharp slash of thunder and metal. The impact made Lilia's ear's ring from the loud _bang, _and she winced, quickly jumping backwards to see the damage. Her mother was panting and holding her hand over her mid-section, a small amount of blood leaking out from under her slender-boned hand. Lifting it up, Beatrix just smirked and stood straight up, letting Lilia see that the damage was miniscule. Lilia grunted.

"You've got to do better than that!" Beatrix roared, clearly giving the battle her all as she approached her apprentice with speed once more, sword in one hand and the other out in front of her, almost as if she were to grab Lilia. Lilia ducked under the sword when it was swung towards her head and balanced herself on one taut leg to let the other swing across her mother's muscular legs, knocking the weathered woman's balance, but not taking her down completely. She struggled and eventually found her balance while Lilia swerved around her legs and cut through the nearest one, blood splashing onto her face from the large impact. Beatrix gasped turned around to face her daughter's sword, meeting it with her own, leg in full sting. She just grinned, sweat rolling down her forehead.

"I see that I have trained you well, my dearest protégée," Beatrix stated, breathing heavily. Lilia smirked and just closed her eyes for a second taking in the sounds of the soldiers close by, the gasping and the chatter, not realizing her mother left her, quickly opening them again to meet her mother's gaze, which was nowhere to be found.

"It must be-

That was all Lilia got to say before her mother hastily casted stock break, slashing Lilia across her chest to get even. Lilia flew back onto the ground with a loud thug, crashing into soldiers and landing on two or three of them, extracting screams and curses from the lot. Twitching, she remained on the ground to take in the pain before she continued to rise back up again, using her sword for help. Beatrix just stepped ever closer.

"Don't ever lose your focus," she stated before Lilia casted Cura on herself, standing upright. Beatrix lost no time in re-advancing, and collided with her daughter's slash once more. With much alacrity, they met swords over and over, _clinking_ sounds repeating themselves for minutes at a time. Finally, there came a point to where Lilia was becoming fatigued, and had to think of something before her mother triumphed. She couldn't lose.

"_What can I do? Let me think. Is there a weak spot?" _

_Clank, clang, bang, chink._

"…"

_Whoosh, clink, click_

"…"

_Shhhhhhhhhhhhring!_

"…"

_BANG!_

"_I have it!"_

Beatrix moved out to cast her final spell, holy, lifting her arms to her sword and concentrating. Faster than a blink of an eye, Lilia switched the sides of her sword around so that she grasped the blade, and jutted the handle into her mother's stomach. Beatrix's eyes popped and she spit up onto the dry, cracked skin of Lilia's bleeding hand.

"UGH-

The sound was short, and Lilia knew that this was her only chance to finally triumph over her mother. In a split second, she was already in the spot to do the worst, switching the sword to her other hand, an extremely risky thing to do.

"**SHOCK!"**

A few dashes of lightning flew out of Lilia's sword and tackled her mother, dancing around the woman in electrifying patterns, Beatrix convulsing with watts of voltage, faced twisted in torment. Once the spell wore down, Beatrix fell to the ground panting, Save the Queen making a _plunk _on the grass next to her, her hands needed for support, her whole frame still trembling with little sparks of lightning. Lilia dropped her own sword and her hands fled to her mouth in complete shock at what had happened, eyes wide and focusing on her mother, who had finally raised her soiled face in wincing pain to assure she was alright. Lilia ran up to her as a natural instinct and placed each of her hands on either side of her mother's back.

"Mother, are you alright?" Lilia whispered, meeting her reddish-brown eyes. She was stunned to see that the General was actually smiling. Lilia opened her mouth to speak before she was stopped.

"…You are ready," was all Beatrix said before she stood up and brushed herself off, "I really am getting old."

Lilia remained on the ground, clutching the grass, her jaw clenched in a fixed smile. She could not believe that she had finally established herself passable for what she had sought for the entirety of her life—to be the General of Alexandria. She was finally _accomplished_. Accomplished above all things, and for the first time in a few days, it felt decent to have the blood running through her body.

Beatrix strolled out and away from the buzzing, circular crowd of soldiers and back into the castle. On her way in, she strode past an exuberant Zylan, who was leaning against the stone arch, clapping.

* * *

Lilia entered her room, exhausted beyond a doubt, the door behind her closing quietly with a soft _click. _In a stretching motion, her arms rose up over her head and extended, her torso thanking her in a quiver of pleasure. Satisfied, she walked over to her mirror and started stripping herself of her uniform and immediately felt more liberated. Excited at the chance to sleep, she went inside her bureau and took out one of her many night gowns, slipped it on, and turned back to her mirror to check for casualties. Her face had looked in tact, so she picked up the brush that lay on the table and pressed it into and through her hair. Knots cracked before letting out as she ran it through the curly mess bit by bit. While brushing her hair, she noticed something amiss in the background, spotted from the mirror. Inside the mirror she could she the reflection of her bed, same as it had always been with an exception. Her covers were an unkempt mess, her comforter in a mountain on bed and her sheets astray halfway on the floor. Disturbed, she quickly twisted around to examine the terrible mess, her limp hand letting the brush fall onto the wooden table under her mirror. Her eyes could not help but squint at such a foreign sight as she knelt down to her silk sheet and placed it rightfully onto the bed. She stood up reclined a passive position, arms by her side, unsure of what to do. She knew that she had made her bed that morning, and she remembered it clearly. Her memory never failed her…

All at once, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Someone had been sneaking past the night guards and probing around her quarters.

* * *

daggertrepe: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and tell me what you thought, good or bad! Thanks for reading! 


	5. The Beginning of a Revolution

daggertrepe: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and or read my fanfiction. Bear with me, things will get periodically more and more interesting and twisted, I promise. I just like to leave you guys hanging. XD

Song of the chapter: Into the Chaos by The Howling Bells

* * *

_**There she was. A shimmering, golden angel. A descendant of Arcadia, it seemed.**_

_**Yet, she was so badly bruised.**_

_**Positioned in a yellow field of daisies, daffodils and roses, was a most beautiful angel. Naked, she was, and the wind lofted her curly, chestnut hair to wisps in the wind, the color seeming next to nothing against the blinding orange light surrounding her head. You couldn't see her face, only dark blue and brown bruises, all over her back, legs, and arms. The atmosphere around the field of beautiful flowers became slower and slower by the minute. The admirer tried to inch through in hopes to touch the woman, perhaps even to ask her if she was in condition to keep moving along. The thought was terrifying; what if the woman didn't manage another day? She just stood there, frozen, even though it seemed incorrigibly scorching. The admirer sent out a hand to seek her and ran in slow motion towards her; she who just stared at the ground. Petals weaved in and out of her fingers and became tangled in her dark brown ringlets. The faster she ran, the slower things became. The angel turned her head slightly and caught the dark green eyes of her onlooker; the green eyes stunned at the piercing, yet shallow gaze of the woman's reddish-brown eyes. The angel just smiled a slight, yielding smile.**_

_**And suddenly, with the sound of the heavens falling, she was underwater, hair climbing above her face so it was in the wings of her vision, the surface straightforward. Reaching for it, she felt herself suffocating. She couldn't fathom why she wasn't moving herself. Something was holding her back from what she needed, what she dearly wanted. Slowly taking herself to a spot under her heavy legs, she searched around the black, bottomless pit for what was keeping her away from the light. Her soul wrenched in immense anguish, she jerked back upwards, screaming a soundless, muted scream. It wouldn't allow her to look at it, whatever it was.**_

_**All she saw was the cold, dark eyes before she blacked out.**_

…**Who exactly **_**is **_**Lilia Steiner?**

_**

* * *

  
**_

Lilia didn't want to accept that something may have been horribly amiss, but after her horrific dream the night before, she had to address it with someone, anyone who could have comforted her and told her that her mind was just filled with screwed up perceptions of life. She wanted to hear anything, _anything _but 'something is wrong!'

"Mother, I…I can't help but feel that something is terribly wrong," Lilia started, her hands curled against one another. Her eyes, pleading, were begging for answers.

Beatrix gave her a questioning, yet alarmed expression, turning back to walking to towards the Queen's chamber to help her prepare for the day. The heels of her boots clanked with every step she took, the marble underneath susceptible to such sounds. Beatrix considered the issue with some thought.

"What exactly is bothering you, sweetheart?" She questioned, her low, warm voice ringing through the spacious, sound-enhancing hall to the grand door of the Queen's room. Lilia stepped beside her in sync, trying to be hasty with her explanation.

"Well…" Lilia began, quite embarrassed at the various, strange happenings inside her room, "it sounds a bit silly, but things have been stolen from my room lately, usually at night or while I'm gone, and it's beginning to scare me. My soaps are missing, my bed was unmade when I returned to my room last night, and this morning my hairbrush and some underwear from the drawer were gone."

Beatrix stopped walking and faced her daughter.

"Don't you think there is a possibility that Charles might have been trespassing into your room and taking things as he pleases?" She asked, minutely smirking.

Lilia's mouth dropped.

"How do you even _know _about that?"

Beatrix flipped her hair.

"I have my ways."

Lilia rolled her eyes, "This is serious. And besides, I would have caught him in the act with all his noisy armor."

Beatrix continued to walk, unfazed. Lilia remained fixed on her expression, which turned serious in a matter of seconds.

"Personal belongings have been stolen from our room, also. We have reported the affair to His Majesty, who is considering options and perpetrators. Not one of the Pluto Knights would dare steal anything from our room, nor would any of my troops."

Lilia sighed, the pit in her stomach growing larger and larger.

"What are we going to do about this? We can't just let it continue to happen!"

They had come to the Queen's door, halting in front of it and staring at one another questioningly. Beatrix simply shook her head.

"I do not have an answer for you at this time, Lilia. Ask later. Now if you'll excuse me, I must tend to Her Majesty."

Beatrix turned the handle to the queen's bedroom with a firm hand and glided in, shutting the door on Lilia. Lilia sighed and turned around gloomily, sluggishly making her way out of the beautiful hallway. Knowing that Zylan would be somewhere, she had planned to make it a point to find him have a chat with him. She needed so badly to speak with him, to maybe pull him aside for lunch or dinner and push sense into his mind and divulge their plot to him, if he would be willing to accept it. Remembering this and forgetting about her stolen goods, a smile crossed her lips and she dashed a small ways down the castle hall to meet the dark, brown wood of Crystal's room. Standing still for a few moments to listen inside the room for signals of life, she finally knocked on the door, soon hearing a shrill "come in!" from a very familiar soprano voice. Lilia, immediately taking in the welcome, twisted the glass doorknob and rushed past the opening wind and into the room.

Sitting on her bed was Crystal, her eyes focusing someplace outside her bedroom window, which omitted a bright, white glow. Lilia envied Crystal for a few things, one of them being her spectacular quarters. Her bed was a creamy-white color with sheets of pure cotton and a wonderfully crafted grand drape hanging over it, little gold designs running down the artfully folded creases. At the bottom of her bedspread was a golden fringe lining. The bed itself was made of the finest steel, so it could hold up even the utmost weight. To the left of her bed was a blue painting of something along the lines of horses in a heavenly area, and it complemented her medium blue walls extremely nicely. Underneath the painting was a golden table with a lacy blue tablecloth. On top of it lay silverware and a tea kettle, so in the event that she wanted to throw a tea party, she could have one. On the ceiling was a large, crystal chandelier, the designs too intricate to properly describe in words. Next to her bed stood a small wooden table with a vase of white roses in them, given to her by someone in town, and across from that was her blue dresser and a mirror, along with all her beauty and hygiene products standing proud on the top. The grand room made Lilia's look like the barracks, and it was twice the size.

Lilia strolled over to the very troubled-looking princess, whose sparkling, blue eyes seemed distant.

"Are you alright?" Lilia asked, her own eyes taking on the same characteristics.

Crystal glanced at her suddenly and put on a weak smile, shaking her head

"I'm fine. I'm just pondering some things."

Lilia made herself comfortable on Crystal's unbelievably soft bed.

"What are you pondering?"

Crystal watched Lilia's face, her green eyes and sculpted cheekbones awfully close. A glimmer of something indecisive flickered in the princess's eyes, causing them to twitch a bit. Her eyes were pounded down to the floor.

"My parents are in the process of finding a woman for Zylan. What is worse, they think that they already found the perfect young lady." Crystal spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the floor. Lilia sighed.

"I should have expected as much," She commented, crossing her arms, the room suddenly becoming frigid.

Crystal looked back her and nodded, emotions beings obvious as they were.

"It really is quite depressing. My chances at being queen dwindle away more and more as each hour passes by."

"_You're_ worried? I'm the one who is in love with the boy."

"Yes, I suppose that could be worse. Then again, this is _my _fate we are talking about." Crystal chuckled darkly.

"As it is mine. I may very well ending up covetously serving the 'King and Queen of Alexandria' for the rest of my life. How does that sound for a pickle of a situation?"

"And I will have had a pointless birth. At least you will fulfill some purpose, what with being the General, which is most certainly a guarantee for you after yesterday."

"You're right about that," Lilia agreed, rolling her eyes at the hype over Beatrix's defeat by her own daughter. She felt it to be nothing short of ludicrous; the woman was 47. Lilia was going to be 17 in a week. It wasn't like the woman was invincible, despite contrary belief.

"So, why did you come to visit me at this particular hour?" Crystal asked teasingly, but sounded a bit grave all the while.

Lilia smirked and took her hands, squeezing them and looking into the princess's blue eyes.

"I came to ask if you know where Zylan might be. I need to speak to him."

"So you're finally going to tell him abut the plan?" Crystal asked, her eyebrows rising in approval, "that's splendid! Now we can finally get on track…"

Crystal seemed to liven up, and clapped her hands together with a wide, triumphant smile. Lilia knew it only took a small ray of hope to get her back to normal. Crystal liked the attention and reassurance, being the drama-queen that she was.

"Don't get too excited just yet, Crys. Now, do you know where he went?" She inquired once more, grabbing her arms and peering at the princess very seriously.

"Oh, of course! I do believe he went to the hideout to spend time with Blank and Rubys' son…uh…what's his name?"

"Brinley?"

"Yes! That's who he went to be with. Zylan told me this morning, but of course I wouldn't remember because I don't associate myself with such scum. Check at the hideout."

"Thanks, love!" Lilia said, hugging her and dashing out of the room.

"Have fun!" Crystal called after her, a broad smile on her face. Finding herself to be extremely happy and contented, she too left her room to run errands, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

"S-Sir…I was only k-kidding, I s-swear!"

Lilia could not believe the scene she was faced with once she entered the area of the docks, her mission being to board a boat to town, sidetracked by her very angry father scolding two troublesome knights. She knew she had little time to spare, but she figured that she could stay and watch David and Charles get their heads ripped off of their necks for being so rude to her yesterday. Standing by the fountain, she crossed her arms in delight and grinned.

"**What do you mean, you were only kidding? You know, I ought to cleave your throats out right this minute for spewing such mendacity about my wife and daughter, especially in front of one of them!!" **Steiner howled, jumping up and down, his armor clanking with each landing.

"B-But we were just playing around!!" David insisted, his voice smaller than an ant.

"**So your idea of 'playing around' is creating sexual humor about your General and your Lieutenant, whom are my WIFE AND DAUGHTER NONETHELESS?!"**

"Well, they are pretty sexy," Charles murmured under his breath, and David nudged him roughly. Steiner turned crimson.

"**WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" **Steiner screeched, jumping up and down faster, his fists clutched tightly.

"W-We better get out of here!" Charles screamed, attempting to run in the other direction, and almost succeeding before he ran face first into Beatrix's chest, knocking him down onto the ground in alarm, looking up at her in sheer terror like she was a giant bear running free in the castle grounds. David backed away, running into Steiner's breastplate.

"Good morning, Charles, David," Beatrix greeted them, nodding to each of them as she said their names, her hands on her hips. A most evil expression housed itself on her face.

Charles didn't speak. Instead, his nose started to bleed furiously. David began to hyperventilate.

"Beatrix! Should I not behead these scoundrels for their mindless idiocy?" Steiner asked her, still steaming.

Beatrix crooked an eyebrow and smirked.

"I believe that simply dumping them into the lake would be sufficient. Wet armor and chain mail isn't what I would call pleasant."

"It's settled!" Steiner decided, picking both of them up by their collars and carrying them effortlessly to the lake, squirming and all.

"No, no, pleeease!"

"Anything but tha-hhaat!"

Nothing they said would ever convince Steiner to let them free, and he threw them both right into the lake with a large splash, clapping his hands together and few times to dust them off.

"If I were to have decided your fates, you would both be inside the ground!" Steiner yelled at them, shaking his fist in the air, and then quickly turning back around, clanking back over to Beatrix. Lilia chuckled as she watched them struggle in the lake, gargles making themselves audible in the morning air, along with curses.

"Oh, Trixie, I think you're softening with age, love," Steiner shouted merrily as he made his way up to her, an even smile on his large white face.

"…_Trixie…?"_

Lilia snapped her head over to her mother, whose face was already beet red, her eyebrows furrowing downward so far that she thought that they may very well fall off.

"_What_ did you just call me?" She asked him softly, but with an edge. Anyone could tell she was angry. Steiner grew mortified at suddenly realizing what he had uttered out loud, holding his hands out in front of his body for defense, retreating from the irritated general.

"Duh…um…it was a mere mishap, darling!" Steiner pleaded. Lilia watched the scene in absolute shock and amusement, trying not to laugh at such a sight, one she had rarely seen. Beatrix inched toward him slowly, her expression remaining the same until she came into contact with him, placing a finger firmly on his breastplate and getting scarily close to his face, scowling.

"**Our room, seven o'clock sharp. **_**Don't be late,"**_She hissed, removing her finger briskly on the last word and noiselessly slinking back into the castle. Steiner's dark brown eyes were as large as saucers, and Lilia noticed a visible lump move down his throat. He was in major trouble and he knew it.

After turning her head to watch her mother make her exit, Lilia shuddered at the thought of her dad's own personal punishment, and made her way to the forthcoming boat on the lake.

* * *

Lilia hopped off of the boat and onto the cobblestones of the street, her boots sounding off with a small click. Ironically enough, rowing the boat that day was Jillian, and all throughout the ride she was glaring at her threateningly, with Lilia warning her to "watch herself". Jillian just snorted and kept on rowing, knowing better than to make Lilia angry or upset.

The town had been full of people that day, with the bright, crisp blue sky glittering and the sun beating down upon the barren backs of the carpenters and the clothed backs of the peasants and children. All around was motion, children weaving through people and in and out of dark, back alleyways where they should have never been in the first place, women were carrying around their babies on their hips, watching their husbands build things or simply stood next to them at a vendor's booth. The vendors themselves were quite busy with their vocal and physical advertising, trying to lure in people to buy their goods. The noise ringing in Lilia's ears, although quite unpleasant, made excitement bubble in her stomach, for she knew she was about to come face to face with the boy she loved dearly. This notion pressing her on, she quickly made her way through the vendors, women and children and found herself in a dark alleyway, one which held the image of shadowy figures, the rears of houses, and a crooked, hanging sign that signaled the entrance to Zylan's gang's hideout, which read "The Princes". Lilia, always hating that title, rolled her eyes and turned her body to walk down the steep steps bathed in orange light, her hand finding a shabby metal doorknob in which she turned slowly and poked her head into the hideout. Surely enough, sitting on a table that stood under a swinging yellow lamplight were Zylan, Brinley, and three of their friends. They had been laughing hysterically about something or another, Brinley purposefully grabbing the light each time to swing it harder, and each and every one of them were dressed slovenly-like with a glass bottle of cheap beer in their hands. The place they spent their time in wasn't a horrid looking place, it was just slightly dirty with dark, stone walls, dusty, forgotten tables, about four or five swinging lamps and a bar with stools and actual drinks, provided by Blank himself, telling them to "knock themselves out". Once they noticed Lilia enter the hideout, they stopped laughing and cheered for her to come in, since they had all been great childhood friends, even though she held no place with them anymore.

"Lil-y-a! Mee-ow!" Brinley shouted, beckoning for her to come forth with his hand, and Lilia ran over to him and presented him with a massive hug around his muscular waist. Brinley quickly and gladly complied, putting down his glass bottle of beer to hug her to the fullest, resting his head on top of hers.

Brinley, though only 5'9 and 17, was a burley man with long, wavy red hair that he tied back with a ribbon, and greenish-grey eyes that sparkled with youth and anticipation. He wore nothing but a red and brown leather vest over a puffy white under shirt, and blue jeans with long, tattered brown boots. With him, he always carried one or two knives around his belt, in case someone wanted to swipe something from his pockets or start a fight. Brinley was always one to constantly beam, and nothing had changed. Alongside him were of course Zylan and his other three best friends, Hadrian, Benedict, and Rowan, all of whom dressed and acted in suit.

"Brinley…!" Lilia sighed, looking up at him from his waist, grinning, "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Brinley smirked, shrugging.

"Hey, you're a busy lady these days, what with taking after your parents and becoming a world renowned General."

"We can't complain!" added Rowan, who held up his beer bottle with a head jerk, "we taught you well!"

"We sure did. Look at how sexy she's become! Yuuumm-y!" Hadrian added with a whistle and elevator eyes. Lilia just held her fist up at the gesture, her face of pure mock-rage, knowing it was only a joke.

"Alright guys, leave her be," Zylan finally cut in, walking up to Lilia in his cool swagger, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Lilia placed both of her hands on the one that rested on her and looked up at him, his eyes gleaming down at her in quasi-adoration.

"You two, I could swear you're in love," Benedict commented, the most noble of the three friends. Lilia just shrugged and raised her eyebrows, her eyes slipping to the other side of the room, eluding the statement's reciprocations on her tell-tale face.

"Awwww they are!" Rowan shouted, and the three of them howled with laughter, Brinley coming up to join Zylan and Lilia in their physical closeness, wrapping one arm around Lilia, also.

"So Lils, what brings you her to our humble hideout?" Brinley asked, teasingly. Lilia crinkled her nose.

"Humble? Hardly," She said, a head tilt in attendance to present a bit of sarcasm, continuing, "I am here to talk to none other than Zylan."

She looked up at him, into his dilated eyes, and shuddered in pleasure, slowly averting her eyes back to Brinley's.

"About what?" He prodded, moving away from her and sitting back on the table with the other boys, raising his beer bottle up to his face and taking a swig, gulping loudly with an "ahhhh". Lilia laughed a short, breathy laugh at this and pulled away from Zylan in a stagger, making her way to the side of the table of the back of the boys, and they hastily turned around to observe her. She crashed her palms down onto the wood in one swift motion, making a slamming noise, the boys teetering and jumping to catch their balances. Laughter erupted from each of them.

"I'm a bit hesitant to tell you boys. I'm not sure if I trust you enough." Lilia led them on, drawing out a response.

"Come on Lils, you know you can trust us!" Rowan moaned.

"Spit it out!" Hadrian said.

"If it will be for your benefit, you should tell us!" Benedict encouraged, leaning on his knee for support.

Lilia pursed her lips and her left eye quivered a bit before she removed her weight from the table and walked slowly over to the icebox near the bar and grabbed herself a bottle of beer, popping it open with her thumb while aiming it at Hadrian, the cap soaring straight at him, striking him in the chest.

"Ahhh!" He shouted, ridiculing pain, laughter surrounding them once more, "You bitch!"

"That was for being a jerk," Lilia warned him with an unoccupied finger, and downed a bit of the beer, her left eye never leaving him. Hadrian just gave her the middle finger.

"its gestures like that that really send my father to hell and back again. How angry he would be if he knew I was in the company of Hadrian Hernesse, the famous Alexandrian peasant thief," Lilia commented, 'thief' eliciting spots of spit to fly out of her mouth. Hadrian walked up to her and playfully picked her up and set her down on the floor, the other boys following suit and laying down with them, none aware of how filth-ridden the ground must have been. Lilia placed her bottle above her head while giggling, Hadrian giving her a kiss on the cheek and Lilia rubbing his stomach right back. Lilia very rarely became affectionate, but with her best friends, she felt a sort of comfort to be her playful self. Zylan walked over to the group of people on the floor and crossed his arms and gave them all skeptical looks.

"What's wrong Zilly-poo, too scared to get your hair all dirty?" Hadrian asked, hugging Lilia closer with a snicker, causing Zylan to roll his eyes after a faint smile.

"That might just be it!" Brinley commented on the other side of Lilia, putting a finger up to prove a point, "if anything, Lilia should be worried about her faultless, lovely curls becoming fouled!"

"Come on down Zylan!" Benedict encouraged, the last one on Lilia's right.

"Yeah!" Rowan shouted, on Lilia's far right.

Lilia herself sat up, smiling gently and taking his hands with ease, her expression sure.

"Come on, Zylan," She almost whispered to him, a luring expression creeping onto her face, her top teeth meeting her bottom lip. Zylan, half-heartedly gave in, swooping down in between Lilia and Brinley, turning his head to both of them in separate, deliberate motions after his back met the ground. Everyone cheered with stupidity.

"Now, Lilia, what did you come here to tell Zylan?" Brinley pressed once more, sustaining himself on his elbow to take a drink of his beer once more, looking down on her with curiosity. She glanced at Zylan, who gave her the same inquiring look.

"What were you going to tell me?" He asked her, his voice velvet and satin, his eyes piercing her soul to the maximum extent. Lilia knew she could not resist that. She sighed in exasperation and defeat, looking down to her flattened stomach where her hands were neatly folded.

"Well, it may be a bit shocking to hear, especially with everyone around. That is kind of why I wanted to speak to Zylan in private. I'm not certain he'd want it to pass through your ears."

"That's makes me even more curious," Rowan admitted, cheesing up his smile. Lila glared at him, and then turned back to Zylan, who didn't exactly know what to say.

"Well…maybe you should all just give us a few minutes alone. I'm sure Lilia wouldn't request that you all leave if it wasn't absolutely necessary," Zylan finally said, drawing a moan out of all the boys, who became disappointed. Suddenly, they all got up, Brinley helping Lilia up to her feet. One by one, Rowan, Hadrian and Benedict swaggered out of the studio, all hitting Zylan on the back or whispering something in his ear and then laughing. Once they were all gone, the remaining three heard someone shout "now don't be too long in there love birds!" It was Hadrian of course, and Brinley sighed.

"I'm really going to have to hit him," He noted, shaking his head, looking to Lilia. He smiled at her kindly and wrapped his arms around her waist, providing her with a long hug, Lilia equally as enthusiastic as the hug's initiator, curling her arms around his neck.

"I love you Brinley," Lilia said, and Brinley simply chuckled, removing himself from her and walking towards the entrance to the hideout. Before he made his way out, he turned back to her and shot her a wink.

"Love ya too."

And with that, the four thieves were out of sight. Lilia's pulse started to race when she knew that she was alone with Zylan, and her eyes were glued to the spot where Brinley had been standing, her face half bathed in the light of the outdoors, making her features extremely prominent. She could hear his shallow breath creeping into her ears, and it sent chills down her spine. To be so close to him was almost unbearable. Zylan placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head towards his, his blue-green eyes making Lilia want to fall over.

"I always thought it peculiar how you turned out with such beautiful green eyes. Both of your parents have brown eyes," He noted with a hint of laughter. Lilia smirked.

"I guess there was a recessive gene somewhere in there," Lilia told him, adding, "it was probably from my mother's side."

"Possibly."

Lilia's lips turned upwards, and then fell again, her eyes declining with them. Zylan knew something was amiss.

"What's wrong, Lilia?" He asked, sounding sincere about wanting to know. Lilia looked up at him shyly.

"It's…something very serious…but kind of…silly. Promise me you won't laugh," She asked of him, a slight chuckle in her own voice, her head dancing around.

"I won't laugh, Lilia," He assured, his eyes confident, putting Lilia more at ease with what she was about to say. She took a deep breath and let out, her lips tightening for a bit before she spoke.

"Look, Zylan, I know you don't want to be king."

That was all she could come out with before she had to look him in the eyes. His brow furrowed slightly, but he was listening.

"Go on," he encouraged. She continued.

"And…if you don't mind my help…Crystal and I have a way that we can get you out of it."

His mouth opened in protest, but she quickly stopped him from speaking by holding her hands in front of his face.

"I know what you're thinking, Crystal…me, I know…it doesn't sound too promising but-

"Lilia it's not that, it's just that I don't want you guys getting involved. It's not necessary!"

"But Zylan, we know that this isn't what you asked for in your life and we want to help you get out of it!"

Zylan suddenly became angry.

"What? You guys don't think I can decide for myself what I want? You guys think that I can't stop it if I want to?"

"NO! Zylan, we just know that you need some help-

"And besides, how would you know what I want?"

Lilia started to pace.

"Oh my goodness, I knew you would react like this…" Lilia mumbled, pressing her hands to her temples as she sped back and forth, her heels making a clicking sound every time she took a step.

"Lilia, all I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be involved with this. You'll get in trouble. And besides, I won't really mind it that much, even if it's not ideal-

"But that's exactly it!" Lilia shouted at him as she stopped pacing, and turned to face him, "You won't do it yourself because you are too afraid of what they'll think. You're too afraid to defy your family. You're too afraid to break their hearts! You don't think they can see it in your eyes when they talk about it? You don't think we can? Well we most certainly can, ok? We really, really can."

Zylan shut his eyes tightly, his jaw clenching. He knew she was right.

"And…and you're just going to let them decide your fate for you? Why don't you do what's right and do what Zylan wants to do, for once?"

"**For once?!"**Zylan shouted, his arms flying upward with rage, **"You don't think that I make my own decisions? That I just follow everyone else?!"**

"Yes! That is exactly what I think because **you let your mother make them for you!**" Lilia spat. Zylan took a few strides toward her and pointed his finger at her chest.

"I know why you're doing this-

He had to stop halfway due to the tears pouring out of Lilia's eyes, which she fervently tried to wipe away as soon as they came out. Lilia didn't like to be seen crying, but with Zylan she couldn't help it. He was angry at her, and it broke her heart.

"-you're doing this because you're in love with me!" he finished, trying to diminish his sympathy for her.

"You're right, I am!" Lilia shouted blatantly through her tears, "and what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Zylan yelled, jerking his arms outward and pivoting around to create a dramatic effect, "and do you know what else I'm not going to do? Follow through with this silly plan of yours!"

"Because- you-are-a-momma's-boy-and-you-know-it!" Lilia shouted at him, still crying uncontrollably.

"Maybe I am! But better that being part of some foolish plot that would very well ruin the very being of this kingdom!"

"And do you know what you're taking away from Crystal? She would die to be in your position while you just stand there and sulk about it, knowing, _**knowing **_that you want something else," Lilia screeched, watching him jump, "and do you know…do you know what you'd do to me?"

Her last word broke and she turned away from him, continuing to wipe her tears. She walked over to the table at the bar and sat down, placing her head inside her hands, trying to stifle her cries. Zylan looked after her in apprehension and sighed, knowing her deeply saddened her. He slowly walked behind her and leaned over her back, making it a point to whisper in her ear.

"Look Lilia, I'm sorry. I just don't want anyone to get hurt. Especially you…because…"

He broke off, backing away a bit.

"…I love you, too."

Lilia's crying immediately ceased, and after a minute she finally looked around her shoulder and saw Zylan smiling at her, his eyes sparkling in that way that made her go crazy. She then turned her full body to face him, still wiping away tears. He moved in, closing the space between them and placing a finger under her chin. She sniffled, her eyes stained with want.

"…I think…I think if the plan is sensible enough…maybe…maybe we can be together, without all of this royalty stuff," He started, his hand moving up to her cheek and stroking it, "I'll take it into consideration, but Lilia, I cannot promise you anything."

She nodded.

"I know. I just want you to hear me out, and maybe go at it with me for a while. I figure if everything goes as planned, we can all be happy. I can be a knight; you can be a knight-

"Wait…how did you know that I wanted to be a knight?" He asked softly, a smile creeping onto his face. Lilia giggled.

"Your sister informed me."

"Well, that's one best kept secret gone down the drain" He laughed, and right after shrugging it off.

"It's good that I know. Now we can work together on this," She assured him.

"Yeah…I guess so. I just didn't think anyone would approve."

The air was silent for a few minutes.

"…I approve," Lilia whispered into his ears. Zylan's eyes perked up and met hers. He couldn't hold himself down. He just loved her so much, though he wasn't quick to admit it, usually.

With a swift motion, he placed his lips on hers, and to her surprise, softly at first, her eyelids beginning to droop after the initial shock wore off. The kiss soon progressed from modest intermittent pecks to a full-on, lip to lip embrace. His warm, silky, thick lips slid all around her rosy, red ones, a sensation that made Lilia tingle with joy and excitement. Zylan placed a hand behind her heck and forced the kiss to be harder, which Lilia did not mind one bit. In return, she placed her arms around his neck. This kiss kept like this for about a minute until Zylan broke away and placed his hands on her hips while she kept hers around his neck. He smiled at her lovingly, still looking deep into her deep, emerald eyes.

"So…what exactly _is _the plan?"

Lilia's eyes widened at the sudden change in the direction of the situation.

"It's going to be long, so just hang in there," Lilia warned. Zylan nodded and backed up a bit, crossing his arms.

"I'm listening."

"Alright, here goes nothing!" Lilia started, beginning to pace again.

"Crystal and I decided that we would start a plan for a few reasons; one, we want to save you from your unfortunate pre-determined fate, two, Crystal wants to be queen, and three…"

Lilia paused as her eyes darted to him.

"…I'm in love with you, as I would hope you are with me," She spoke softly, a tiny smile making its way onto her face. Zylan smiled right back.

Lilia continued.

"What we plan on doing is…rebelling! Now, I know that sounds sort of extreme but it will work. You have to make it clear to your parents, or at least _hint _at the fact that you don't really want to be king, and that's you'd rather just be a knight, and on the day of the crowning," Lilia paused, and turned her whole body towards him I excitement, her dark brown curls flying all around, "you tell them! You tell them all that we're in love and that you wouldn't want anything else than to be by my side, to…to _fight_ by my side!"

She looked to Zylan for his reaction. He smiled a small bit.

"It sounds a bit half-baked, don't you think?"

Sighing, Lilia responded, "Maybe…slightly? But that's why we have to plan further, you know, to kind of-

"Lilia, Lilia. How about this; how about I just _tell _my parents that I don't want to be king instead of making a big scene of things. I can…I can tell them before the actual day of the crowning, and that should do it!"

After thinking it over for a minute or so, Lilia nodded in approval.

"That sounds good! Except…they will be doing so much for you before then. Are you sure you don't want to do it sooner?" Lilia asked, hiding her hands behind her back, wringing them nervously. The left side of Zylan's mouth was tugged upwards, while his eyebrows went wonky.

"Yes…yes, I realize. But I have to wait…you know, to think this out."

"But you will do it?" Lilia asked almost desperately, to verify. Zylan sighed and shrugged.

"Lilia, I cannot promise you anything. But I can say that it is a great possibility."

"Because Zylan, you can be happy and you know that you can!" Lilia encouraged, running up to him and grabbing his hands tenderly, "just think about that!"

Zylan smirked, shaking his head.

"I know. But understand that I can't just _do _it without some thought. Alright?"

Lilia didn't need to respond, a firm yet loving hug was all Zylan needed to know that he had made her happy. The bliss didn't last long, though, because soon after Lilia's head shot up to look at him, panic pooled in her eyes.

"Wait, what about the suiting?" She asked, frantic. Zylan had forgotten about that, and grimaced.

"Ahhh yes. That. Well," he thought things through, bringing a caressing hand up to his chin, "we'll see what happens with that. There's isn't a whole lot that I can do, Lilia."

"I know, but…I just wish you'd say something now so you wouldn't have to go through with that."

"Lils, you know that they won't listen to me at first. I have to make it seem like I'm miserable before they believe me, right?"

Lilia looked up at him from a head tilt.

"You won't need to act miserable. You _will _be miserable and I can guarantee it."

Zylan just chuckled, holding her face in his hands.

"I'm glad we had this talk. I don't know how I would have told you that…that I love you otherwise."

"You didn't have to tell me. I already knew."

And with that, they shared another long, passionate kiss.

* * *

In need of telling her father about the latest theft incident in her room, Lilia figured that she would make her way up to her parents' room to tell him. She remembered that both of her parents were off-duty at 7:00 sharp, just in time for the royal dinner, but oddly enough, neither of them showed up to the dinner table. Lilia asked everyone where they were, and not one person had even the slightest clue. So, after she had her fill of food, she dashed up the grand staircase and to the left, where the grand doors to the bedchambers stood, and she pushed them both open with little effort, the hinges creaking wildly as old doors always did, and walked quickly down the marble hall, seeing her reflection in waves below her. She thought the floors must have been cleaned that day. She turned right to a point where there was one more set of doors, and she pushed on those, too, giving herself final access to her parents room, which was on the immediate left in the hallway of rooms, which contained her room, Crystal's room, and of course her parents'.

Without thinking, Lilia grabbed the glass doorknob and turned it without knocking, the scene in the room instantly flooding her vision as she burst in. She expected to see her father reading an informational book of sorts or smoking a cigar, while she anticipated her mother to be brushing her hair or not be in the room at all.

But what she did in fact see left her completely and utterly horror-struck.

There, on top of their king-sized bed, was her parents, both completely stark naked, Steiner laying on top of Beatrix and looking behind his shoulder in mortification. Lilia's eyes shot over to Beatrix's face behind Steiner's muscular, erect arm quickly, and she too looked a bit perturbed. Faster than the blink of an eye, Lilia, with a wavering hand, grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door on the sight, turning her back to it, hyperventilating. She certainly did not expect that, and she had wished she would have more careful and think to knock. Along with being completely affronted at catching her parents in the act, she saw her father's bare buttocks and her mother's legs spread wide, along with her barren parts. To Lilia, the visual was more than vomit-worthy, and a sickly feeling welled up in her stomach as she ran over to Crystal's room and entered without knocking, throwing herself on the queen-sized bed and screamed into her pillow, remembering only then about her mother's vendetta after he called her 'Trixie'. Apparently, her idea of vendetta was sex.

Crystal was sitting at her desk attempting schoolwork when she barged in, hurrying over to appear at her back, in a panic that something had gone wrong with Zylan.

"Lilia! What's wrong?!" Crystal asked frantically, patting her back. Lilia kept on moaning in distress.

"Lilia!" Crystal shouted, now shaking her friend's curvaceous frame, "Lilia! What's the matter?"

All at once, Lilia turned her face up to the ceiling, coughing, her body contracting itself into a fetal position.

"Lilia!"

"Urrrghhh do you know what I just SAW?" Lilia screamed as she peered at Crystal through squinted eyes.

"WHAT?" Crystal bellowed right back, slamming her hands onto the mattress, her eyes large with desperation, anger and fear all in one.

"I…I…_just walked in on my parents having __**sex**__!"_

Crystal's eyebrows raised and her mouth dropped so far down that they could have hit the floor. Lilia stared at her in horror for a few seconds before a small smile climbed onto Crystal's dumbfounded face. All of a sudden, she started laughing uncontrollably. Lilia sat up, infuriated.

"Crystal, that's not funny!" She shouted, but Crystal kept on laughing, holding her stomach and even falling off the bed to roll around on the floor.

"Crystal!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Crystal said through a teary laugh, "It's just that I was expecting something so much worse! But that…that is hilarious!"

She continued to cackle, much to Lilia's displeasure.

"How is that hilarious?" Lilia questioned, honestly confused. Crystal stood up and brushed her dress off, sitting on the bed next to her friend, patting her leg with a giggle.

"I thought it was something about Zylan."

"Ugh! Of course! That's all you ever think about is that plan of ours!"

"I know you think about it, too."

"Well, you can be more sympathetic to my situation, as I just saw both of my parents in the nude, amongst other disgusting things!! How am I even going to be able to look them in the eye ever again?!"

Crystal shrugged.

"Don't."

"Don't? What do you mean, 'don't'?"

"I mean, don't look them in the eye. I wouldn't."

"Well you're not their daughter!"

"Thankfully."

"You're a real bitch, you know that?"

"I'm fully aware."

"Good!"

"Alright!"

And that was all they said for about five minutes, Lilia laying on the bed with her arms crossed and Crystal sitting on the end, swinging her heeled feet.

"So…" Crystal began casually, "how did it go with Zylan?"

Lilia omitted an audible sigh, and Crystal turned around to see Lilia's face, covered in a blissful expression.

"Well, good news for you, it went wonderful!"

Crystal squealed and sat Indian style on the bed, facing Lilia.

"So what happened?"

Lilia chucked and shook her head.

"None of your business. All you need to know is that it went extremely well."

Crystal's mouth was a big O.

"Wh-what? Don't go thinking you can't tell me! Lilia, we're best friends."

"But what happened is confidential," Lilia stated smugly as she sat up.

"But…but…"

"NO buts."

Crystal pounded her feet to the floor and stood up.

"Whatever. As long as everything is going according to plan," She said as she walked back over to her desk to re-attempt her homework, pulling out her chair to sit down and grabbing her pencil.

"Yes. The only problem is that he said he would _think _about it and maybe try it. I have done all that I can!"

"Well at least he's considered it. Knowing him, he probably won't refuse. He's such a teddy-bear!" Crystal assumed from across the room, her back still to Lilia.

"Yes. I think he'll go along with it too, just because of the fact that he does not want to be the leader of a country just yet."

"Precisely."

"But there's one major problem-you know you're parents are trying to set him up with some girl soon. What are we going to about that?!"

Crystal turned halfway around in her chair, a smirk on her flawless, beautiful face.

"We destroy her."

And that was all she said before she turned back to her homework.

* * *

Reclining onto her bed after a long day of stress, embarrassment, and even pleasure, Lilia was extremely close to crashing. For two hours straight she sat in her room and pondered the events taking place in her life, especially the ones that had occurred in the past few days. Everything was a bit too much for her to take in at once, so she had to take them on bit by bit, or else she would find herself in a fierce blush. Needing to feel warmer, she huddled under her comforter and lay on the left side of her body, facing her doorway. The room was pitch black expect for her window's light, and it scared her a bit. She had never divulged to anyone she was afraid of the dark. It was one of the only things she was afraid of. Lilia knew she had to act like a man and live with it, so she squeezed her eyes shut and thought of Zylan. Zylan with his deep blue eyes. Zylan with his straight, pearly white smile. Zylan, with his perfect body.

The thoughts of Zylan ceased.

Lilia's eyes snapped open as her door creaked. She sat up immediately and stared, mollified at her sluggishly notching door. Whoever was trying to get in her room wasn't doing a very sound job. Lilia watched the door swing a full ways open, and in the corridor stood a man dressed black, so Lilia could barely see him. Knowing that the man saw her back, she rolled sideways off the edge of her bed and grabbed her sword which always lay in her bed with her and ran after the man, who had already sprinted down the hall. He was fast, for she didn't get even close to him until they were thundering down the grand staircase and out into the courtyard, where Lilia finally got close enough to just barely grab the fabric on the back of his shirt, making him reel and fall backwards onto her chest. She instantly threw a blow to his head with her fist and he fell to the ground, panting. Without hesitation, Lilia picked him up by the front of his shirt and held him up to the sky, glaring into his black, wool mask. She ripped it off to reveal a normal looking human man, though he was shorter than Lilia. She could not make out many features of his face, but could tell that he had fearsome, unholy black eyes.

"What were you doing in my room?" Lilia shouted, seeing her parent's bedroom light switch on from the corner of her eye. The man just laughed a delirious, insane laugh and Lilia slapped him.

"**I asked you a question!"**

The man continued to laugh, and Lilia continued to slap him until he screeched, "enough", and she stopped, waiting for an answer. The mystery man wheezed a bit, hacked once or twice, and then spoke, his voice strained.

"You…you and that…that 'mother' of yours…you're in trouble…"

Lilia's eyes widened at the way he spat the word 'mother', and she went over the edge in fury, raising her sword and bringing it straight through his forehead, eliciting a horrifying scream from the man, blood spraying down onto Lilia's face and nightgown, spurting creatively before she let the limp body fall to the ground, a pool of blood and grass surrounding him. Lilia's knees gave out and she too tumbled to the ground, crying harder than she had ever cried in her entire life. She had made her first kill.

And her parents were there to witness it in sorrow.


	6. Zylan's Fair Ladies

Daggertrepe: I have been so busy that I have not had a lot of time to write, but here is the next chapter for you eager readers! Enjoy!

Song of the chapter: Great Blue Sea by The Reign of Kindo and Weird Fishes/Argeggi by Radiohead

* * *

"Wh-What…exactly…happened?" Zidane asked once more, perplexed as could be, for clarification.

"Lilia had managed to capture and dispose of an intruder that was lurking inside the castle," Beatrix was quick to explain to His Highness, though darkly, her voice grave and deep, her eye patch non-present, a dark red scar diagonally marked across her left eye, the damaged eye itself possibly kept under the lids. Lilia had guessed that she didn't have enough time to place her eye patch back onto her face, and it was a peculiar sight, witnessing her without it. Beatrix had always described it as a 'weakness', and one's General cannot be seen as pathetic by any circumstance. One of Beatrix's slender, yet calloused hands rested on her daughter's shoulder, the soon-to-be 17 year old girl's other shoulder occupied with her father's bare hand, which was also rarely seen. Nothing that had ever happened before could top the awkwardness of the situation at hand. Before, catching her parents in the act and soon after making her first kill, which still captured her, causing her to become doe eyed and trembling, and then standing with them in the king and queen's room, every single person in his or her dusk attire. Lilia could not help but feel she was invading a personal zone. And she still could not come eye to eye with either of her parents. They had been treating her like a child, bringing her in the room like they did, but she knew they could not help it. It was just a bit too late for Lilia to truly care. Zidane and Garnet both lay in their bed, clutching the sheets, their expressions grim.

"Who was on night watch?" Zidane inquired.

"Blutzen and Raymond," Beatrix answered, shooting a sour look at Steiner, "worthless fools."

"And where was Lilia when all of this happened?"

"She was presiding in her room for the evening when the interloper made his entrance," Steiner explained. Lilia was mute.

"He came right through the door?"

"That is correct."

Lilia reallocated as Zidane and Garnet stared at each other, stricken with complete and utter panic. She acknowledged in her mind the fact that her deed alone may have immediately started a war between Alexandria and "The Dark Kingdom", for Lilia knew that the man was a resident of the place. Though the invasion was by no means her fault, she couldn't help but feel responsible, not to mention the fact that the intruder warned her that she and her mother were in danger. Lilia didn't speak of it because she didn't want to cause any more disarray, and she pondered secretly in her mind exactly what that meant, but the blood drying on her hands drained her attention, eyeing the red crust that fragmented of off her hands onto the white carpet, the color clash too vivid even in the dark. Her breath staggered, and Beatrix took notice.

"Steiner, remain here. I'm going to take her and get her cleaned," Beatrix told Steiner before she exited the room with Lilia, still grabbing onto her shoulder. Lilia knew that had it been any other soldier, she would not have been as attentive, but Lilia was Beatrix's own flesh and blood, and a mother cannot help but tend to her kin. They walked a ways down to Beatrix's room and they went inside her bathroom, Lilia shuddering at the sight of their bed. Beatrix closed the door behind them slowly, calmly, and when over to the tub to turn the tap on. She pushed Lilia's shoulders down gently so that she placed herself on the marble edge. Finally, she gathered the courage to peer up at her mother, and all she saw was her mother's worried eyes staring down at her like she used to when she was young. Lilia kept staring, because she didn't know when the last time she saw that face was. To her, it was peculiar. From Beatrix's perspective, Lilia looked white and ghostly, clamming up with sweat, her hair disheveled and her eyes pleading. The great General's heart broke at her condition, and knelt down to her embrace her daughter, wrapping a hand around her dark brown hair and planting a kiss on the crown of her head. Lilia buried her face in her mother's chest and began crying for the first time since she saw Zylan, except this time the tars were unbridled and wild, for she was in true shock and uncertainty. Beatrix rubbed her back with her free hand and lulled her with a "shhhh". A smile creeped up onto the warrior's face, knowing.

"I always told you, Lilia, that it would not be easy by any means. I know how sullen you must be feeling, but this is only the beginning. You will be killing many, many other men, and with much regret…"

The General trailed off, Lilia continuing to cry, the sound of running water in the background.

"Don't…don't treat me any differently, mother, please. I am of any other soldier in this army," Lilia told her as she raised her head. Beatrix's face softened.

"Yes, I know, but…I cannot help but feel quite saddened at all of this."

"You know you're just doing this because I'm your daughter."

"Well, that is partially true, but I wouldn't exactly be thrilled about this in any knight's case…especially yours, Lilia."

The way she said Lilia was warm and tender, and it made her smile with a sigh as Beatrix attempted to turn the girl's body towards the water. There had been a stray washcloth on the tub from former use, and Beatrix grabbed it, starting to rub the blood off of her daughter's hands. The air was silent for a few moments.

"…This is exactly why I didn't want you becoming a knight in the first place…because I didn't want you to have to suffer through this sort of agony, and I knew it would show its ugly face eventually. It's the worst kind of pain," Beatrix explained, her face distant, as if looking onto the past. She started shaking her head as she brought the cloth to Lilia's face, gently patting away at the coating. Lilia knew she had to tell her mother what the man had said to her before he was slaughtered.

Bursting out of Lilia's lips came a shout, followed by a short cry, shocking Beatrix, who flinched at such a sound. Lilia was frazzled, for she could not figure out exactly how to tell her. She could only construct nonsensical sounds.

"Lilia, what is the matter with you?" Beatrix asked, the authority in her voice becoming evident, "I understand that this whole event was exceedingly traumatic for you but this is no way for you to act! If you cannot handle this sort of pressure on your first slay what will you do when-

"No! No no no, stop, please, mother! Just listen to me!" Lilia shouted, jolting up from the tub, grasping her knotted hair in between her fingers, pulling it straight up. Beatrix could infer that her daughter was quite serious and not just being a drama queen, for she was usually relatively calm. Lilia paced around the bathroom, Beatrix eyeing her every step. Lilia didn't want to wreak more havoc, but she feared she had no choice. She stopped walking and stared her mother straight in the eye, completely somber.

"The man, the man I killed, mother he…he is a-after us, I swear it. He-he told me that we're in trouble, both of us! He couldn't have been more-

"**Lilia! Calm down!" **Beatrix yelled at her daughter, grabbing the shaking teenager's shoulders, Lilia escaping from her personal lunacy, insanity in her wide, green eyes.

"Now…tell me calmly. Exactly what occurred before you killed the man?" Beatrix asked, her voice composed, her tone considerate. Lilia saw the truth in her mother's sharp, almond-shaped brown eye, which sparkled with immense beauty, passion and wisdom. The contours of her face were still; no movement encompassed them. Her prominent cheekbones remained constant, and her eyebrows rested, her damaged eye so close to the girl's vision. Lilia really noticed its intricacies for a moment, the shape of the scar and the color, and also the dead and paled skin around it. Though many would have flinched at the sight, Lilia appreciated it because it was simply part of her mother. Beatrix's lack of a left eye weighed no meaning onto her being, nor did it matter, because Beatrix had cared for and loved her all the same. She could remember being so young and reaching up to her mother's face in the moonlight. She didn't know where it happened or when it happened, but she recalled touching the injured eye, running her tiny fingers over its rather smooth, yet gnarled surface. From that moment on, she had loved it, and never asked where it came from, because it was irrelevant. It was a part of her.

Beatrix seemed completely accepting, and Lilia let out a sigh, mouth drooping, eyes presenting a let down.

"Well, I chased him out of the castle and caught him, and while I had him in a stronghold he told me that we were both in danger…that's what sent me over the edge to kill him."

Beatrix's eyebrow pushed in.

"Did you happen to see what he looked like?"

Lilia paused, thinking hard about the mystery man's physical appearance.

"I…I didn't see much, really, but I noticed he had evil, cold black eyes and truthfully tan skin. I know he was human. I couldn't detect any race in particular. I'm sorry."

"Do not be apologetic. This is valuable information," Beatrix told Lilia, turning back to the tub to pick up the wash cloth, "they try to send threats to the General? They have another thing coming."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about, though, mother. What if that isn't what he meant?"

"Nonsense. Threats are sent to us once in a great while. We would not usually attack, but we have already had our suspicions about them, so war may break out. It all depends on what His and Her Highness believes is fit for our kingdom. No matter what the decision, I will be ready. I always am, and I always will be."

She turned back to her daughter with the wash cloth and continued to sanitize her face.

"That is why you must be brave. You cannot flinch. You cannot hold back. You have to perform your duty and execute it with grace and dignity. That is what being a General is about. It's not about how much strength or power you have, it is your passion and love for your duty as a protector of a country and its people. I've learned that the hard way."

Lilia remained silent, and took Beatrix's words straight to her heart. It had been true, every word she said, and she fully appreciated the advice, though she couldn't help but feel something was wrong, deep down inside.

"Mother…I really do not have a good feeling about all of this. We…both of us…we might really be in danger. And father, too!"

"Your father and I are in no danger, nor are you. We are all extremely capable of handling ourselves in and outside of battle, am I correct, Lilia?"

"Yes, you are, but…I cannot help this feeling I have. I am telling you…something is just not right."

"Lilia Rose, I would know if we were in danger. Do you underestimate my knowledge?"

"Not at all. I would never. But you don't seem to be taking into account what _I _feel."

"You are merely shaken up over the matter at hand. Paranoia is not uncommon in first time murders."

"But I feel to be in danger. I really do. I feel like we all might be!"

Beatrix merely sighed in disagreement, shaking her head slowly.

"I believe you need some rest. Why don't you go back to sleep? Your father and I will handle this, and you will be informed over what happens in the morning." Beatrix suggested, wiping the last bit of crud off of her face. Lilia's mouth pressed into a straight line. She didn't want to go back to bed, but she agreed on it, nodding her head and walking out of the bathroom.

"_Something…something is just not right…"_ she thought to herself on the way out.

* * *

"Isn't this the most…fortunate time to have you in our darling castle, yes, Clare?"

Sitting next to Zylan at the breakfast table was a timid young girl, only just 16, and her rather slender, oddly-shaped dark blue eyes blinked in shock. The youthful girl had skin as white as snow, full, shapely lips that naturally seemed to curve into a slight smile, a small rounded nose, and long, wavy platinum blond hair that came down to her collarbones and curled slightly at the end. She was, without a doubt extremely beautiful, but that didn't stop Lilia from despising her and her very presence.

"What ever do you mean, my Queen, your majesty?" Clare asked in her cheery mezzo-soprano voice, her natural smile becoming a tad unnatural.

"Well, you see, we have decided just this morning to enter war with 'The Dark Kingdom'. We informed the king last night and all we got back was a piece of parchment saying 'you'll be sorry', which is exactly why we are attacking them in the first place. For years he has been doing nothing but looming over us suspiciously. It's time for this to come to an end."

Lilia was not shocked at how blunt the queen was about the kingdom's affairs, for that was how she was. Clare's lips parted, her eyes filled with a sort of charming concern. It was obvious that she didn't know Queen Garnet very well.

"That's terrible, my Queen! I am so sorry to hear that. I mean, I absolutely agree with you. They need to be taken down after everything they've done."

Garnet shrugged and glanced over at Zidane, who resided at his usual spot. Lilia herself glanced over at Crystal, who had contempt written all over her face.

"He would agree with you, dear," Garnet laughed, signaling to her husband.

"I told ya, Dagger, it needed to be done for years!" Zidane noted for a moment, before scarfing down his Contie Petie specialty pancakes.

"Zidane! Don't call me that!" She scolded him, pressing her hands to her hips. He raised his head from his plate, grinning sheepishly, and went back to his food.

"Ugh, I can't ever take you seriously." The Queen murmured, starting into her own pancakes.

"They're real royal seeming, huh?" Zylan nudged Clare. She giggled, placing her delicate fingers to her mouth. Lilia grunted.

"How exactly is this going to all play out?" Lilia asked, trying to divert her own attention from the scene across the table from her, "I mean, with attacking the other kingdom?"

"Well, Beatrix and Steiner are currently at a meeting with their troops to explain to the recent turn of events and how they are going to train for war, or more like, Beatrix's troops will be. The Knights of Pluto will be staying here, as always. You would be there right now, but Beatrix assumed that you already know what's going on, and you were still in slumber when it started."

"But when exactly will we be attacking?"

"That is something I'm not positive on," Garnet told her.

"As soon as we can! Those scumbags are going down!" Zidane shouted, relentless.

"_Zidane."_

"This won't disrupt anything…will it?" Clare asked, referring to the courting. Garnet waved her hand up and down.

"Oh, no, no!" Garnet insisted, chuckling, "We will be going about this as we would anything."

Clare and Zylan smiled at each other. Lilia looked back over to Crystal. She noiselessly nibbled at her food, not looking up from her plate.

"So…how exactly did you find this…girl…your majesty?" Lilia asked Garnet, throwing a salty glance Clare's way. Clare recognized this and seemed to be sadly offended.

"Well, I travelled down to the town to get myself a few things instead of having one of my knights go for me because that is unnecessary, and…I mean, I just saw her walking with her mother and I knew she was just the right type of girl for Zylan. So, I arranged this meeting here today." She told Lilia surely, and Lilia pretended to be in a sort of happy surprise, dishonestly nodding her head in approval.

"Oh wow!" Lilia exclaimed in a mocking tone, "you're so right. They look _great _together."

Crystal kicked her from underneath the table.

"Ouch!"

"What was that?" Garnet asked.

"Ehhh…nothing!"

Lilia glared at Clare and Zylan, Zylan giving her the message to cut it out. Clare looked like she was about to cry.

"Well, I think I'll just go to the meeting now, if I may be excused," Lilia said, getting up from her chair in waiting for the queen's approval.

"That is fine," Garnet allowed with a quaint smile. Lilia returned the favor and walked away from the table, fuming. She made her way outside to the training grounds where the meeting was being held, of course. Beatrix and Steiner were standing in front of a whispering crowd of solders, not one seemed to be listening to their superiors.

"**I told you all to remain quiet and give us your undivided attention!" **Beatrix shouted, slamming her sword into the dirt for extra impact. Everyone was immediately silent.

"**Because of this, we must train hard! We must fight without rest! We must win this war!" **Steiner shouted, and the whole army broke out into cheers. Lilia made her way to the front of the throng and ended up standing next to her best friend in the squad, Melania. Melania, with her curly reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, smirked at her and turned her attention back to Beatrix, who was pacing with her arms behind her back.

"**And so, in about a week, we will be off to war. This is not a joke. This is most certainly not a game. Some of you will be injured. Some of you will befall disability. Some of you may even pass on. But that is the risk you are willing to take to be a part of this army. To be a part of this war. To protect this country! Are we ready, Alexandrian Knights?"**

"**Yes, General Beatrix!"** they all shouted in unison, and following was more cheering. Lilia tried to smile sincerely and be happy, but she just could not. Something was tugging at her insides, making her swirl into a sort of depression. It had been going on for days, and the recent turn of events did not assuage it.

"Why the long face?" Melania asked through the commotion, placing a hand affectionately on Lilia's back, "I mean, you're Lieutenant Lilia Steiner for Pete sakes! Nothing's gonna to happen to you! You're gonna take 'em down, easy."

Lilia smiled a bit at her but then went right back to her frown. The way Melania talked in an extremely improper manner bothered her immensely.

"I just…don't have a very excellent feeling about any of this. I mean, this is nothing to be having revelry for! Not only is this war, but…I feel as if…the people we're against have something extremely evil brewing under the surface."

Melania rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, you're just being paranoid. Lighten up!"

Lilia presented her with a blank expression. Nobody seemed to understand what she was trying to say. Then again, they hadn't witnessed her dark and grim nightmares.

"Ok, look, we'll spar for a while. That might assure you that there's nothing to worry about, miss 'I-am-so-superior'!" Melania told her, grabbing her arm to lead her into a free space to fight.

* * *

_Clank, clank._

_Swoosh!_

_Crrrrip!_

"Ugh!"

Blood streamed down Lilia's cheek, staining her peach skin dark rouge. She brought up her hand to feel the wound, blood smearing onto her hands and further along on her face. Melania seemed to be in a sort of trance.

"Lilia…this is so unlike you. I mean, no one _ever _strikes you…"

She seemed concerned, yet smug.

"**Ugh, shut up! I'm just not in a great mindset right now, alright? I told you that but you insisted we do this!" **she scolded her as she angrily threw down her sword.

"Jeez…sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You know, you can't train like this forever. You have to put your mind to it and really focus. Otherwise…you'll be lost."

"I won't be 'lost', ok? I'm going to beat all of them down, no problem. That's what I do. Today is just not my best day."

Melania hesitated. She dearly wanted to ask Lilia what was bothering her, but thought it may not have been an appropriate time.

"Lilia…what happened today?" Melania finally asked, courageously, eliciting a sharp glare from Lilia's direction.

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Well, goddamn it, Lilia, if you never tell anyone anything, nobody's going to be able to help you! You act like you can take care of everything yourself, when in reality you can't no matter how great of a warrior you might be!"

In a fit of rage, Lilia jerked a few inches toward Melania, her face the color of a beet, her teeth bare and crooked in position.

"**My issues concern nobody but myself. Nobody needs to know, nobody needs to care. Why should they? So mind your own business!" **Lilia spat viciously at Melania, but she didn't flinch a bit. A low breath came from Melania's mouth, her eyes watering suddenly.

"This. This is why hardly anyone likes you here. It's because you push us all away one way or another. Goodbye, Lilia." She spoke calmly right before storming off into the bunks. Lilia thrust a hand after her disappearing figure, but it was no use. The damage had been done. She bent down to grab her sword and swung it at the nearest wooden post.

"**Shhhhhiiit."**

* * *

"I'm pretty sure that this is our location."

Lilia took a few unsure steps toward a sign that read **'Grayson's'. **

"Yeah, that looks about right. It _is _the fanciest restaurant in Alexandria," Lilia commented, nodding her head in approval. It was about 8 o'clock at night, the time of night that Lilia and Crystal decided to do some spying in town, though their eyes were being strained through the darkness.

"If you could even call it that! This is nothing compared to where Eiko has taken me in Lindblum!" Crystal whispered as she stealthily moved forward to get closer to one of the restaurant's windows.

"Oh, shhhh."

The two girls sneaked up to the window carefully; being sure to duck down underneath before they looked up into the scene inside the building. Crystal's eyes popped up first, then Lilia's.

"Look, there he is!" Crystal whispered, her fingertip pointing in a direction. Lilia's eyes scanned the restaurant, but there was nothing.

"Where?"

"Over there!"

She pointed once more, Lilia finally being able to spot the two of them.

"Oh! I see them."

"Shh!" Crystal placed a finger to her plumped lips and turned back to Zylan and Clare, "Ugh. Look at them. It's absolutely sickening!"

The restaurant was absolutely spectacular. Though it was small, it has rich tan walls and peach flowers painted on them in every direction. Above the diners' heads was a magnificent chandelier with what seemed was thousands of crystals, all intertwined with gold rods and twists. Zylan and Clare were sitting underneath it at a small wooden table with a candle lit between them in the middle. They were sitting at one of many tables, most of them set for two. It appeared as if they both ordered water, and they were staring at each other, sheer bliss on each of their faces. Lilia snarled and turned her head.

"Ugh. I can't watch."

"You have to!" Crystal told her, pulling her head up by her hair.

"Hey! Watch yourself," Lilia fought back angrily.

"Hey! Watch the lovebirds." Crystal retorted in a mimicking manner. Lilia snorted and paid closer attention to the panorama unfolding before her eyes.

"…"

"…"

"UGH! Oh my god."

Zylan gingerly grasped her left hand and gently kissed the top of it, causing Clare to blush and giggle uncontrollably.

"What-what is he _doing?!_" Lilia questioned frantically, "He is supposed to be telling her to get lost!"

"Lilia! Shut up!"

Zylan and Clare did nothing but chat for a multitude of minutes before their food was brought out. The girls noticed that there was only one plate of food brought out.

"Wait…why is there only one plate?" Crystal asked, confused. Lilia shook her head slowly, dumbfounded.

"Because…!"

The plate was set down, immediately following Clare and Zylan beginning to eat from a meal for one.

"This-this is blasphemy!!" Lilia whimpered, slamming her head into her cupped hands, "I cannot believe this!"

"Why he…oh, he is going to get it when he gets home!" Crystal said to herself, shaking a fist in their direction.

"…"

"…"

"They…they just…kissed!" Crystal squealed.

Zylan and Clare leaned in to kiss each other after their dessert plate was taken away. It was only a peck, but it infuriated Lilia and Crystal nonetheless.

"**That's it!"** Lilia shouted loudly as she pounded her fist down onto the windowpane, storming up to the entrance to the restaurant.

"No! Lilia!!" Crystal whispered after her, but it was too late. Lilia was already inside, a hurricane of anger hurling towards Clare and Zylan, "Oh gods, no!"

Clare caught sight of her first, balking in her seat. Zylan only noticed after he took his eyes off of Clare.

"You!" Lilia pointed at Clare, her finger shaking with sheer anger, "Nobody…_nobody _fools around with _my _love!"

"_Your _love?" Clare questioned with in disgusted tone, eyes trailing Lilia's tall and slender body, Zylan asking the same question with same tone.

"Indeed, _my _love. Now, get up." Lilia demanded, her hitchhiker's thumb pointing behind her back and out the door.

"No!" Clare argued, flinching at her insolence.

"Lilia!" Zylan scolded, standing up from the table.

"**Now!"** Lilia roared, getting closer to the sweet girl's face. Clare burst into tears and hurried out of the restaurant, face hidden by her hands. She wasn't just about to argue with the most powerful warrior in Alexandria.

"Clare!" Zylan yelled after her, soon silenced by an extremely angry Lilia.

"You! You bastard!" Lilia screeched, livid. The innocent bystanders inside the restaurant were beginning to leave with all the turmoil surrounding them.

"What the hell, Lilia! Why would you do that?" Zylan inquired, sincerely nonplussed.

"You know exactly why! Because we had a deal!"

"I didn't promise you anything. I said maybe."

"**Maybe?!"**

Lilia let her anger get the best of her. With one swift motion, her hand met his face with a heavy _slap. _He recoiled backwards, his own hand covering the sore, red spot that the knight had just made on him. At this point, Crystal rushed inside and threw her body in between the both of them, arms spread wide as if she were a shield.

"**STOP!" **Crystal pleaded at Lilia, Zylan still recovering behind her. Crystal's skin was beet red, the girl's usually serious face now looking as if it were to fall off. Lilia glanced at Zylan, who was in complete shock himself, and then gaped at her own hands, hands in which caused him immense pain. Realizing immediately what she had done, Lilia turned in the opposite direction and suddenly sprinted away, her long cape and hair breezing behind her beautifully, nevertheless.

* * *

The night air was cruel and stinging.

Lilia was hardly even able to even keep her eyes open, let alone stand up, mosey around and watch the castle grounds all night long. She simply wanted to be alone, under her warm, inviting covers, analyzing her situation like she usually would. Yet, it was still her shift, and not one complaint left her mouth. Complaints did not sit well with the General. Complaints did not sit well with Lilia. Sniffling at a smidgen of icy snot that she felt loom out of her nose, she pressed forward toward the docks, where the air grew to be even more biting. Her hands, by instinct, rubbed against her arms, which had collected goose bumps over the hours she had been on watch. It had made her wish she had brought along her shawl, as a sort of way to ward off the chill. Keeping her mind on the shawl, she was met by the fountain of the docks curtly, and she peered around the dark area, vision sharp and crisp as humanly possible in the dead of night. To her knowledge, not a soul roamed besides herself. She determined she would make herself at ease at that very moment; the docks were one of the only places she truly felt at peace. It was as close to peace as she was going to get for the night, anyway.

"_Zylan."_

The dark waters sparkled alluringly, sucking Lilia into a sort of trance. Ghostly, dim lights filled her seemingly dead eyes, her lips divided in awe, body still and straight as would be the trunk of an oak tree.

"_I…I've just ruined everything…"_

Her heart sped up, and her chest felt familiarly sore. Her limbs became numb and phantom-like, saline tears building up, blurring her vision. A tickling sensation shot up her throat, making it even more difficult to restrain her tears.

"_Ugh…Zylan…"_

Lilia admitted that she was angry at herself, yet it didn't stop her from being angry at everyone and everything, too. For the past few days, nearly every thought that passed through her brain had something to do with Zylan, placing terrible impressions in people's minds, beckoning them to stay away from the fuming Lieutenant. Nobody knew that she bawled and threw a pity party in her room every night. Nobody understood how much she was hurting inside, the sorrow in Lilia's heart transforming the poor girl into a walking oblivion. The general assumption was that Lilia was simply chronically irate. One soldier even suggested Lilia seek therapy to Beatrix and Steiner, and they didn't exactly disagree.

One thought strung up another, and Lilia's fists were clenched. Anger only stemmed from the hell she was being put through, what with prissy, perfect Clare and the ever-doting, adoring Zylan. Every second she wasn't with her troop, she was around them, listening to them, seeing them, _serving_ them. It was more than she could honestly handle. Though deep down she knew she was being so immature and the only person that could bring her down was herself. She knew she needed to get over things eventually, or her position in the army would be demoted and everything she ever worked for would be diminished.

_Rustle, rustle._

Lilia drew her sword in an instant initial reaction, being the trained soldier she was. She was exhausted, but that never roped down a great knight. She swooshed around to come face to face with Zylan, her blade touching his throat. She gaped at him in shock, the gaping soon becoming glaring. She kept the sword at his throat. He was leering right back.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't," Lilia muttered, virtually incomprehensibly. Zylan's eyebrow quirked.

"Because if you did, you would be summoned straight to the gallows."

Lilia scoffed, drawing out the sound.

"Maybe that would be a better fate than serving you and your little _princess _for the rest of my goddamn life."

Zylan rolled his eyes and pushed the sword away with one demanding hand.

"Lilia, you've _got _to stop this. It's ridiculous, the way you're acting. I mean, you're embarrassing yourself. It's not like you…this...this…-

"Impertinence? Yes, I do realize the population is _quite_ fond of it," She finished, flipping her hair and placing the sword back in its sheath, clearly emphasizing her sarcasm.

"Don't you even care?" Zylan questioned, defensively, "I mean, the behavior is not very characteristic of someone who is so close to being the General! Don't think your parents wouldn't take this away from you in a second!"

"I'm not worried about what my parents think, or anyone else for that matter," Lilia lied, "I am the greatest warrior on this continent at the moment. I will be General, despite what anyone thinks or wants."

"Don't be so cocky. That kind of attitude will only send you to your grave," He shot back at Lilia, who was trotting away from him coolly. He advanced her and blocked her way.

"Move," She ordered, Zylan crossing his arms in response.

"I just want to know why you're acting like this!"

"You know damn well, now move!"

"Ok, so I told you I might try the plan. MIGHT."

"Your reaction to it seemed very promising," Lilia retorted.

"I never said that I wasn't going to try it, Lilia!"

"Well when you decided you would smooch her at the dinner table, that pretty much settled it, didn't it? Now, would you move?"

She shoved past him, speed walking back toward the castle's main entrance, yet he still managed to block her path.

"**Zylan!"**

"Lils, just listen to me, please. _Please."_

His eyes did the pleading for him, blinking with a charm and beauty that he knew very well Lilia could not resist. Blush crept up onto the planes of Lilia's skin and she shuddered. Lilia despised that fact that she was so weak to his blue eyes.

"Ugh," She gave in, crossing her arms and locking her eyes onto his, presenting him with her roughest expression, "What do you want to say?"

Zylan smirked demurely.

"I decided that I'm going to go with the plan. All of this…I mean, it may not look like it, but it's _killing _me," He alleged, the beautiful knight's face lighting up like the flicker of a firefly, though she quickly caught it and held it back. She cleared her throat abruptly, bringing her folded hands to her torso.

"…Really? Clare not good enough for you?"

"No, no, I like the girl…but I'm not _feeling_ it, you know? And I'm being honest here, Lils, I'm not trying to tell you what you want to hear."

"For the past few days, it sure seemed like you were feeling her."

"That was just show for my parents. It makes them happy."

Lilia threw away her façade and eased herself with a sigh, throwing her hands to her hips.

"Then why would you worry me so?"

"I mean…I wanted to test the waters. It's my nature, you know? But…the waters were too cold."

Lilia smiled a bit and chuckled, eyes meeting the gravel.

"It certainly is like you, I suppose."

"Then why don't you find it in your heart to forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you," He persuaded as he slipped his hands around her hips, rocking her back and forth, "I promise we'll get her out of here in a few days. I'll tell her its just not working out."

Lilia pondered it for a few seconds.

"How do I know that you aren't lying to me?"

"Lilia! Don't tell me you don't trust me!"

Lilia shrugged.

"It's just so sudden, all of this…apologizing. It's too quick."

"Lilia, please." He begged, giving her his most sincere expression. Lilia could tell immediately that he was telling the truth, because he only gave her that look when he was being serious.

"I'll only forgive you if you promise me, and I mean _promise _me something."

"What is it?"

Lilia's eyes shined with glory under the millions of stars in the night sky. It was almost as if her eyes were stars, themselves.

"Promise me…promise me that you love me."

Zylan's mouth opened as if he was ready to promise her anything, but his breath caught. Raising his eyebrows in surprise and lowering them after the shock wore off, he smiled and stared at her lips.

"I promise, Lilia."

He dove right at her lips, smothering them a bit loosely, Lilia fighting right back for dominance. They shared saliva for a bit before they broke away, and Zylan unexpectedly picked her up and starting walking somewhere with her in his arms.

"W-where are you going?! Zylan, put me down! I'm on duty!"

"Shhh…no one will ever know that you're gone."

"Z-Zylan!"

Zylan had always been one of the fastest people Lilia ever knew. Though Lilia herself was pretty speedy, she could never outrun him as a kid. She found herself in a whirlwind of Zylan, dark blue shades flying everywhere, mixed with the color and warmth of his skin. She rested her head on his chest as he ran, trusting him that they wouldn't get caught. The cold air started to warm up and smell sweet due to Zylan presence, and all at once Lilia felt safe for the first time in a while. She could recall the last time she had been in someone's arms like this-it had been when she was little and her father would hold her and swing her around sometimes during spring nights while Beatrix slept. They would sneak out in the middle of the night just to be with each other. They would muse about sweet things and Lilia would often giggle as he told funny stories about being a knight. One time, they even fell asleep in the yard and Beatrix found them early in the morning, enraged. Steiner didn't have a very nice day after that.

Lilia opened her eyes to a shimmering field of grass, a completely circular area secluded from the world inside a small forest. A surfeit of diverse shades of green flooded her vision all at once. The forest surrounding the shining lake added an eerie sort of essence to the area, yet it was also endearing. Everything in the forest glowed, and the leaves rustled as the lake waters rippled in the wind. Lilia became astounded; she had not the faintest idea that a place like this even existed in Alexandria.

"W-Where are we…?" Lilia questioned dizzily, her head moving it every direction to take in the scenery. Zylan placed her on the ground, gently, keeping a hand on her back in case she fell over.

"We are at my secret place."

"…Your secret place?" Lilia questioned, Zylan nodding.

"The most beautiful place in all of Alexandria…and maybe even on Gaia."

Lilia couldn't help but bring on her biggest cheesy grin.

"And you brought me here," She said, trying to elicit a specific response out of him.

"Yes, I did. Come on, over here."

He motioned for her to come along towards the lake, lifting his shirt above his head as he ran.

"Z-Zylan...?"

Before she could blink he was completely naked as he did a perfect, slick dive into the lake.

"Zylan! You're nuts! It's like, fifty degrees out here! You're going to get sick!" Lilia shouted as she followed him to the edge of the water. She couldn't see beneath the surface due to the blackness of the sky, but her heart pounded in her chest because she imagined it was beautiful.

"If you want this, you have to take off _all _of your clothes and jump in," Zylan challenged while performing backstroke. Her heart pounded even harder, and she started to blush furiously.

"Zylan, you're mad. I will…I will _not _degrade myself! Plus, it's freezing! I can't afford to get sick! What if-

"Shhhh! Just jump in. Come on. It can't hurt."

"Zylan…I…"

"What are you so scared of? Are you scared that it'll be too cold?"

"No."

"Are you scared to get sick? I thought someone like you could stand a little illness!"

"Well, it's not exactly _that…"_

"Are you…scared that I won't think you're beautiful...?"

Lilia turned her back to the water, slamming a hand to her chest to try to make her heart stop pounding. Her eyes curved downwards and her mouth became dry. Zylan knew the answer to this question.

"Aww…Lilia…don't be afraid of that. Why would I ever think of you as anything less than perfection?"

"Because…because I'm not sure if you truly love me yet…"

"Lils…you still don't trust?"

Lilia remained silent for a few moments as she pondered.

"No, it's not that either. It's just…I'm scared. No one has ever…you know."

Zylan sighed loudly and smiled calmly and assuring.

"Lilia. Trust me. How long have we known each other?"

Lilia turned back to him, her face solemn.

"A long time," She whispered.

"And Lilia…how long…have I loved you?"

Lilia looked at the sky.

"I'm not sure, Zylan. But…I have loved you for the longest time and I just don't want to get my heart broken. I'm not sure I'm ready for this…I mean, I just love you so much, but…"

A tear escaped one of her eyes, but she quickly wiped it away.

"…But I'm afraid that maybe if I do this, things will end and everything will be ruined. I don't want this to end. I don't want to stop loving you."

Lilia fell to the ground, defeated, her hair covering up her flushed face. Zylan climbed out of the pool and knelt in front of her, placing his hands under her chin to turn up her face so that she was looking at him. Lilia knew that if she looked down, she'd see everything, so her vision remained straightforward.

"This…this could not ruin us. This could not bring us down. This could make us stronger, an experience like this. Lilia, I'm not asking to have sex with you. In fact, I don't want to. All I want to do is see you for all you are and enjoy your beauty, so that we can have a stronger relationship. Nothing and I mean _nothing _will tear us apart. Not even some stupid girl my parents try to set me up with. But Lilia, if you really don't want to do this, you don't have to. I just thought it would be a nice experience for us."

Her green eyes sparkled with innocence in the dark, nightly light. Zylan had never seen her appear so vulnerable. He thought he saw something indecisive flicker in her pupils, but before he knew it she got up and started taking off her belt, sword, and unbuttoning her jacket.

"Lilia-"

"Shhh. Don't speak. I'm doing this because I love you and I trust you. I trust that…"

She trailed off as she undid the last button, slipping her hand underneath the fabric to feel her warm, soft skin the last time before it was exposed. She heaved a sigh and slowly slipped it off, revealing her bare chest and stomach. Zylan gasped at the sight. Her breasts were perfectly proportioned to her hips; rather large breasts to wider hips. She looked perfect. Without another word, she slowly took down her black leggings and her black laced underwear. The second she was naked she just stood there, her eyes squeezed shut and her fists clenched, not even taking a peek at Zylan. Though he was stunned to see she actually did it, he was glad, because he finally knew her for all that she was, at least physically.

"Lilia, open your eyes," He pleaded soft as silk, the sound ringing in Lilia's ears as the most wonderful sound she had ever heard. She slowly opened her eyes to see him looking at her face, not her body. Lilia knew then that he truly cared for her.

"You're so amazing beautiful. All around. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

He was so amazingly sweet that she just felt the urge to jump in the water with him, so she did just that. The second she hit the water she tackled him, her lips ravaging his neck and chest under water, the frosty water ignorable in such circumstances. The second she removed herself from his chest, she resurfaced and looked down to see what he looked like, now that she was close enough. She was pleasantly surprised.

"Whoa!" Zylan yelled, Lilia coming up to attack his lips. He took her under before she could make her move, and placed her hands on her hips, lightly nibbling her neck this time. Lilia moaned inaudibly, and bubbles shot to the surface as she turned over him in the water, touching his face for all she could see of it. They embraced each other slowly, yet sweetly, each other's lips working over the others. When it was time for air, they resurfaced but wasted little time with the human necessity. Lilia wrapped her legs around his torso and he pushed his weight on her to make her sink down, moving his hands up and down her curvy frame. He pressed her legs away so he could swim free, approaching her chest and fondling her breasts with his mouth and hand. Lilia's face met the surface and she moaned into the air, unable to contain her pleasure. As she went back down, her curly hair flowed around her face, making everything seem dreamier as it flowed around, lovely in the thick liquid. Zylan broke through the hair shield and compressed onto her lips, moving them around to top and bottom passionately. Lilia's extremely long legs became heavy under her, and she felt like she was sinking, yet sinking with him.

For Lilia, it was the most amazing night of her life as they went on for hours, just playing in the water.

For Zylan, he was enjoying himself thoroughly, but couldn't help that something was amiss. Something Lilia should have detected all along.

In the dark green bushes was a pair of eyes, watching their every move.

* * *

daggertrepe: Does Zylan seem…seedy to any of you? Like he is doing something he wants to, but shouldn't be? Hmm…

As you've noticed, the story is becoming a bit more fast-paced for the plot speeding up, so bear with me, because that's just my writing style!  Please review and give me your thoughts.


	7. Transcended

Daggertrepe: Here's the next chapter for you all! This one's probably going to be a stunner for all of you, so sit tight and enjoy!

Song of the chapter: Knives Out by Radiohead

* * *

**Something was dreadfully erroneous, she finally realized.**

Beatrix shot up from what felt like was the worst sleep of her life. She hadn't had a bad dream—it wasn't that at all. For some strange reason, the past few nights she had been waking up in the dead of night for reasons she had no idea of. Her anxious eye would scan the room in panic, eagerly trying to spot the disturbance, something that was looming over her and waiting to steal her sanity. The pale moonlight wouldn't make anything any easier, it bestowed an eerie glow onto the room and it made things that much harder accept. Steiner, who was soundly slumbering next to her shaking, fearing form, only gave her comfort, not reassurance. A long, thick lock of hair escaped the bundle of curls that occupied her head and fell down close to his rough skinned face. For so long she savored the thought of waking him up and rattling off her fears, yet in the back of her mind she knew it was merely an act of selfishness, Steiner dearly needing rest. He required this energy for the days ahead, now so more than ever because of his age. Beatrix wasn't exactly young, but Steiner was a good five years older and was much less limber and active than she, not to mention the fact that his bones would cramp up severely once and a while, sometimes to a point where he couldn't battle. She nonchalantly stroked his face with her fingertips and smiled, knowing that they would soon be able to live their lives without war, pain and strife, as long he broke through to the other side. For security reasons but also for safety reasons, he was staying in Alexandria with his knights to protect the city, Beatrix deeming him too frail to fight. It was extremely affecting to her, seeing the once burly, strong man who fought his way to the top now becoming unable to do so. Regardless, she would not allow her husband to fight in such a condition, keeping in mind that this was their last battle and she wasn't about to risk loosing her husband of eighteen years, the man she deeply and truly loved, to a fight so diminutive. Though this would be true jolts of dread still nudged at her insides. A ghastly, atrocious event was going to take place soon and Beatrix could _feel it_. She was beginning to believe the silly revelation Lilia was mumbling over, a strange sentiment about the war and the man who broke in, and she so dearly wanted to apologize and get more information, but Lilia refused to associate with her for the time being. The seventeen year old got some crazy idea that she was being taken for granted, and it was getting harder for people to take her seriously with her ever-changing, irrational behavior. It wasn't only Lilia; it had been Zylan, too. Beatrix held a notion they might be up to no good, but chose to ignore it. There wasn't a thing she could do about it, and it didn't appear quite so important next to other issues. Her own feelings of worry and fear wrapped around her torso, sensations of being tugged on by ropes of an unseen force. She should have sensed the danger before her daughter did, with all the experience accumulated from years and years of being a general. One would think she'd be a connoisseur of such things. Doubt, a meddlesome emotion, rooted itself, officially.

Beatrix ought to have listened to Lilia. Her anger and war lust got the best of her, not taking into consideration the real issue, just assuming paranoia from a silly teenager. Beatrix identified that Lilia's intuition was sharp and accurate, and felt incredibly thick for denying that at the time. What could be worse than Kuja trying to destroy every existence known to man? That was her original thought, so not one thing would capture her terror. At the time, it just seemed so incredibly minute compared to the tragedy that happened before Lilia was even born, what with silly thieves stealing her undergarments. Judging the misfits to be laughable, she considered nothing more of it than daring to play games with her.

Then again, they did steal her underclothes, not even touching Steiner's (Who would want to?)They way they were also trying at Lilia's created a blatantly disturbing matter. As far as she knew, they weren't stealing anything from the king and queen's chamber, nor from anyone else's. Only the females of the Steiner family were being directly bothered, and in more ways than just one. Who exactly was interested in solely Lilia and Beatrix? Was it because they were strong, female warriors? Did someone envy their beauty to levels of hate? Or…was it something else, something even more demented and dastardly…?

A flicker of his eyes flashed before her, reasoning for her to balk. Beatrix shook her head immediately after, knowing it couldn't possibly be him.

"_Damn it…" _she thought to herself, biting the lining of the inside of her mouth, seeing all the signs that were incredible red flags, blinking behind her eyes, _"if only there was some way I could apologize to her…and listen to her fears. She won't even look at me, let alone speak to me."_

Beatrix refused to be evidence for the soldiers that she was upset by her daughter's behavior. Whispers and giggles circulated without halting; however Beatrix dismissed them, only appearing sturdy emotionally and physically, like a leader should. Small things hurt her on nights like these, but no one would ever suspect that.

"_I have to fix what I have broken…my fears…my worries…preposterous!"_

Beatrix sighed and curled up against her husband, who, in sleep, placed an absent arm on her back and patted it gently. Knowing that rest and tranquility were important, she attempted fall back into sleep. Beatrix needed to clear the air with her daughter so that they could be in sync once more, handling all the problems with ease. It didn't matter that Lilia was the greatest knight she'd ever seen at such adolescence. It didn't matter that she was indeed a child prodigy; she was still _so_ incredibly young and uncertain, as was Beatrix at seventeen. If she didn't find out exactly what her daughter was thinking…she might not be able to save her from a terrible fate, and from herself.

* * *

"…Lilia?"

Lilia peered up from her boots, which she was busy stuffing her large feet into. Sneering at her mother's appearance at her dark wooden doorway, she went back to her business, trying to ignore her presence.

"Lilia, please…would you kindly speak to me for a few moments. I know you're angry and I apologize for upsetting you, but…this is extremely important."

Lilia remained silent, bending down beside her bed one last time to grab her sword. Beatrix came up behind her as she appeared at mirror in her room, checking her appearance one last time before she prepared to leave, grabbing curls and scrunching them up in her palms.

"Lilia, please…please speak to me." Beatrix begged, watching her own reflection, which seemed more terrible than usual. She had dark circles under her eyes and the lines around her mouth were more prominent than ever before. Beatrix decided that she hated stress, and she hated begging.

"You wouldn't even give me a chance, General, so why should I take your plea into consideration?" Lilia responded icily, but Beatrix saw something in her eyes that made her think she, too, was in pain over the mother-daughter separation.

"Lilia, don't do this. You know…you know…-

"No, I do not know of anything. Why don't you inform me?"

Beatrix just started at the mirror in awe, almost afraid to say anything. Lilia quirked an eyebrow and waited. Beatrix wasn't appreciating the disrespect and cockiness at all.

"You know that I'm very sorry," Beatrix said, a bit of bite in her tone. She wasn't one to take sass and be cool about it.

"I couldn't tell! You didn't say a word to me, General."

"Well…I am…extremely apologetic…" Beatrix trailed off, not knowing where to go from there.

Lilia turned to face her, features like stone.

"Will that be all, General?"

Beatrix didn't like how she kept using 'General' instead of 'mother' like she usually would. They weren't on the battlefield.

"No, no it won't, Lilia. I have other matters to concern you with."

Lilia tapped her foot and crossed her arms, awaiting a response. Beatrix's eyebrows knitted together and her fists clenched.

"I suggest you adopt a new attitude, Lilia Steiner, because you are being extremely disrespectful to me, your mother and General, when I have been nothing but kind to you for the past few days!"

"_Kind? UGH," _Lilia spat disgustedly, retreating to the door and exiting into the hallway, "how is being unreceptive to your own daughter being kind? Explain that one to me, General."

"I have tried to apologize for the past few days but all you've been doing is turning down my most sincere advances!" Beatrix shouted after her, her arms outstretched.

Lilia turned back, her thick, curly hair flipping with her. Sourness rode her face.

"_**Why should I forgive you?" **_Lilia asked sharply, causing the great General to go over the edge.

"Because I was mistaken! I will finally admit it to you! Something _is_ terribly amiss, just like you said…" Beatrix told her, desperate to get her on her side before time ran out.

"How frank of you to just blurt it out, General. It's just _so _unlike you to be so desperate," Lilia commented, starting to once again strut away.

"There's no other way I'm going to get through to you since you won't allow us to have an adult conversation! Lilia, you _know _yourself that we are in a great mess, so why won't you just talk to me? Maybe we can get this all sorted out-

"Don't twist yourself, General. Just because you finally realize something is wrong like you should have a great while ago, doesn't mean I have anything to discuss with you any longer."

"I encompassed the idea that you _did _want to talk to me, Lilia!" Beatrix shouted, still stalking her, "I cannot imagine why you wouldn't!"

"**Because, mother!" **Lilia finally shouted, turning herself around spastically, causing Beatrix to jerk to a stop and backtrack, "**The damage is done! What could we possibly do about it now? Besides, we're going to war now anyway, we'll just chop of all their goddamn heads and it'll be the end of it. Don't you understand that hardly anything matters anymore?! I just want to get this over with so I can live the rest of my life."**

Beatrix stared in stunned silence, too flabbergasted to utter a word.

"**And you know what else?" **Lilia continuing, inching ever closer, with one finger pointed straight in the General's direction, **"I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's, really, but **_**especially **_**not yours! I am fine. I am Lilia Steiner. I can fend for myself. Thank you dearest mother, thank you for making me realize this. Thank you for putting me out of my misery! Thank you for-**

With lighting-quick reflexes, Beatrix thrust her hand upwards towards her daughter's perfect, creamy white complexion, leaving a dark red mark across her left cheek, feeling the impact on her own hand as well, sting absorbed through calloused skin. Lilia didn't exactly flinch, but she was surely stunned, gaping at her mother through teary eyes and mouth parted, not bothering to touch the spot herself, letting it her skin pulse and beat in the open. Sorrow read on Beatrix's face and she closed her hand, bowing her head in sadness. Beatrix had slapped her before, but _never_ that hard.

"If there is anything you need to learn before you become general, it is respect. I don't know how I've raised you to become this way but I am shamed at your behavior. I can only hope that you set your sights on improving yourself because no one is going to do it for you."

With that she looked up at Lilia, who was astonished as ever.

"I wanted to help you…help you like I wished someone would have helped me when I was so young…but now I'm not sure if I can. I'm not sure anyone can. Maybe these are things we must find out for ourselves," Beatrix told her darkly, pausing to look at her daughter one last time before turning to make way back down to the main entrance of the castle. Lilia remained there, too shaken up to move. She swallowed a bit of her saliva, which became thick in the midst of the events, and it inched down her throat like an extremely sharp knife cutting through it.

"_W…what am I doing?!" _Lilia asked herself shakily, peering down at her own hands; calloused, with lines running throughout, _"I…I don't even have a bit of respect for my mother…the General herself…how…how can I be the general after all of this…?"_

She clutched them, a tear falling onto the tensed surface.

"_No! She was the one being disrespectful! She wouldn't even listen to me when I had my concerns! For all we know, we might be…"_

She let the thought go.

"_It doesn't matter. I'm going to be the leader of this army soon anyway. They wouldn't dare demote me now. Who would replace me? Once I'm general, they won't be around. No one else is worth a cent. Plus, Zylan may very well be by my side, protecting this kingdom for as long as we can…as long as he gets rid of that nuisance of a girl soon…"_

The thought consoled her, and she nodded to herself, sure that she was right and the world was wrong. She followed the path her mother took downstairs without another thought.

Lilia had no idea what lay ahead of her; the world _was_ wrong, but she was even more so mistaken.

**She was starting to follow the same exact shady path that was once taken before, by someone not so different from herself.**

**

* * *

  
**

Lilia decided it was a good time to check on Zylan.

She was on her break from training, more than relieved that this was so. To get away from her mother for even just an hour a day was such a treat for her. She absolutely could not stand being in the same area as her, and being lieutenant forced them to communicate with each other, as much as it hurt Beatrix and angered Lilia.

Zylan and Lilia had been secretly dating for the past few weeks. It was the only thing in Lilia's universe that made her smile when she woke up in the morning. The thought of him being there every day, loving her, comforting her…it did wonders for her mood, though Clare was still lounging around. That was exactly what Lilia wanted to get straightened with him. When was he finally going to let her go?

Her heart beat faster and faster with every step she took towards his room in the royal hallway. She didn't want to put pressure on him to let her go, and she really didn't wish to get him heated, but if she was ever honestly going to be with him one hundred percent, she had to speak up, and very soon, for the crowning was in a couple of weeks. Lilia was sure the queen already had her imaginings about that…

His rich, polished brown door was open a crack, a small ray of light shining through onto the floor. The small of his cologne drifted into her nose and it was clear that he was in there. A girlish giggled floated through the air, proving that he was there even more so, but the chuckle caused Lilia to back away from the door a bit just to listen into the room.

"Ahaha…Zylan! No!"

"Yes! It actually happened to me. It really did!"

"There's no way…"

"I'm serious!"

"Hahaha!"

Lilia recognized that voice. She rapped her knuckles on the door lightly and inquired entry. Zylan accepted her request and she emerged into the room, a fake smile and confusion plastered on her face. Inside, she saw Clare and Zylan sitting on his bed, awfully close to one another. Lilia was puzzled as to why he was seeing her at all, let alone so privately, and in his room. Clare's expression turned bitter once Lilia entered, sweat forming on Zylan's forehead at the interaction, meaning something was obviously wrong. Lilia cleared her throat and gave Clare a simple nod.

"Um, sorry to interrupt you two but…may I speak to Zylan alone for just a moment?"

Clare threw a skeptical glance Zylan's way, receiving merely a shrug. She sighed, pursing her lips and getting up from the mattress.

"I suppose so," She mumbled as she glided out of the room with ethereal grace. Lilia closed the door behind her once she knew the maiden out. She left no time to beat around the bush.

"Why was she in here? I thought you were in the process of letting her go."

"I was…yeah, I was…"

"Then why was she in here talking to you like you guys are old buddies?" Lilia questioned quickly, crossing her arms.

"Ugh, Lilia…don't do this to me," He replied after a bit of a pause, his body movements exhibiting signs of tension.

"Don't do this to you? What…what the hell do you mean?!"

Zylan put a shaking hand to his head, covering his eyes.

"Don't interrogate me like I'm three! All you ever do is badger me," He said from under the shield that was his hand. He had just about been fed up with the girl. Lilia could feel red hot embarrassment on her face.

"It's because I love you and care about you."

"Yeah, I think a little too much," Zylan shouted in her direction as he raised his head, clear irritation in his shiny eyes.

"And that's a bad thing?!" Lilia asked, offended by how suddenly he was turning against her.

"Yeah, because you seem to think that you rule my life because of it!"

"W-What?! That's not how I feel at all!"

"You had no right to tell her to leave, Lilia!" Zylan fought back, standing up to make his point more clear.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a second!"

"Yeah, and I knew exactly what it was about. You remind me about it _every damn day._"

_Every damn day. _That hurt her.

"Because I know that it needs to be done!" Lilia retorted, trying to cover up her own feeling of stupidity. She did indeed remind him every day, and should have taken note of that before attempting to sway him once more.

Zylan threw his hands up in the air.

"There you go! There you go again, assuming things, controlling me! Lilia, have you ever considered that maybe I don't want to get rid of Clare?"

Lilia was immensely insulted at this point. She couldn't believe what she was hearing—only a few days ago was he saying to her that she was the only one he loved. _"What caused this sudden change of heart?" _She thought to herself, fear and doom rooting itself inside her stomach

"You are the one who told me that you were going to get her out of here that one night by the dock, begging for my love, Zylan! That was you! Don't pit this on me, now, as if I threw this onto your back and forced you into it!"

"I knew you were never going to leave us alone otherwise!"

"Oh, and making me take my clothes off to jump in a freezing lake would? Before that, I was already planning on forgetting about your sorry ass!"

"No, I just…Lilia…_please_ don't take it that way-

"Then why'd you do it? Why did you make me believe that you loved me, Zylan, if you wanted to keep Miss Princess all for yourself anyway?" Lilia said, throwing her arm behind her to signal Clare, who was still behind the closed door.

Her tears were impossible to shove back.

"I do love you, Lilia!"

"No you don't!"

"I do! I just…really like Clare, too, and I'm not ready to let her go just yet. Can you please understand that?!"

"I can't, no! How can you love two people at the same time? Not only that, you told me you weren't interested in her!"

"I don't love Clare! I…I…"

"You lied to me. You know you did."

The pain of the real truth in his eyes told Lilia he was absolutely lying, leading Lilia to shake her head in disbelief. She couldn't fathom why all these horrible things were happening to her today, especially _this. _It was like the cherry on top of a perfectly horrible sundae_. _Lilia backed away from him, a trembling fist tight to her chest, her eyes broad with a deep gloom.

"Clare must have said something to you. What did she say?" Lilia half-whispered, not finding herself any other reason why he was suddenly acting the way he was.

"She didn't say anything, Lilia! Why must you put her in that position? She didn't do anything to you!"

"She's more vicious than you would think, Zylan. Open your goddamn eyes for once."

"I'm starting to, Lilia, I really am," he told her, moving ever closer.

"Oh, so you mean that getting rid of me is part of 'opening your eyes', right, because I'm such a nuisance?"

"I never said that!"

"Then what could it possibly be?! Why would you ever act this?"

Zylan was red in the face at this point, and he turned his back on her, running his hands through his mid length hair.

"I…can't tell you, Lilia."

Lilia stomped her foot on the ground angrily.

"And why the hell not?"

He didn't turn around. He didn't say a word. Lilia marched up to him and involuntarily turned around when Lilia placed her hand firmly on his shoulder.

"_**Why not**_**?"** She asked again, the desperation clear in her eyes. Zylan stared into them, only mournfully, his own eyes giving out a certain sadness that would not appear unless true. His lips stumbled on words, something that Lilia wasn't fond of because it made him look like a liar.

"Because…" he started finally, "…it _will_ hurt your feelings."

There was so much sincerity in his answer that it broke Lilia's spirits, and she backed away from him slowly, in a ghost like way, shaking her head in denial.

"N-No…"

She knew what he was trying to say. Lilia pushed her eyes closed and before she knew it she was back in the hallway, running past a nonplussed Clare, who made her own way back into the room. It was amazing, in Lilia's mind, how fast something so huge could end with just a simple fight. Once moving into the grand room leading to the royal hallway, the space around her seemed too vacant for her taste at that moment, and she fell to her knees, letting tears fall to the glassy, hard surface of the floor. Hyperventilation made itself present as Lilia sobbed, filling the room with unpleasant and worrisome noise. Of course Zylan wouldn't come to console her; he was the reason for her cries of pain and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop them. Lilia allowed herself to consciously collapse to the ground, too emotionally tied down to move, hands hitting with a hard smack as her elbows caved in. She didn't know exactly what happened, or how it happened, but it happened way too swiftly. Good old fate didn't even let failure drag on, as it should have. It would have been much less painful, that way.

But it no longer mattered. It was all over. Zylan would never be hers.

* * *

Their room was dark with only one candle lit, as there were usually three. Beatrix took note of this as she slipped her light pink nightgown over her curvy figure after a hard day of preparing for war. Immediately after smoothing out the fabric and brushing out her hair, she turned to her husband, who was still in his armour at such an hour. Beatrix would never have come to the conclusion something was wrong until he pulled out a cigar from a box underneath the bed and lit it with a candle. Suddenly, the dimness of the room made sense to her. Steiner had been troubled by something, for he only smoked cigars when he was extremely angry or extremely upset. She uneasily watched him place the thick roll in his mouth. The tip lit up brightly and then faded away, smoke following behind its exit from Steiner's mouth. The wrinkles around his eyes became sharper, somehow more intense, and his scowl was larger and wider than ever, and adding the fact that he was trained all day, he looked extremely tired. He seemed fixated on something, for his eyes were slits staring into the mirror himself, watching the waves of smoke that he created. Beatrix made sure to give him a stern expression when their eyes met, making her way over to their bed.

"Adelbert, you _know _smoking cigars isn't helping your condition," She reminded him, fluffing up her pillow before taking a seat. He waved his hand at her and continued staring at his reflection. Beatrix folded her hands on her lap and leaned into him, her curiosity increasing.

"What's the matter, dear?"

Steiner failed to answer at first, only shifting his dark brown eyes in her direction. Beatrix responded with a quaint smile, waiting for a reply. Steiner eventually took the cigar out of his mouth and waved it around, accompanying it with another hand gesture, signaling that he was frustrated.

"Lilia," he stated simply, which got Beatrix going, for she, too was having issues with Lilia. Her eyebrows sunk in confusion.

"Lilia? What is going on with Lilia?"

"You should be able to discern better than anyone, Trixie."

Beatrix tilted her head away from him, a lip pout added to her deep-set brows.

"I'm afraid that I do not know what you are referring to," Beatrix responded, and Steiner stood up, beginning to pace the length of the room, continuing to smoke his cigar. Beatrix kept her nervous eyes on his figure.

"I am confident that you've become aware of Lilia's recent…behavior, have you not, darling?" Steiner began to explain forebodingly, Beatrix following with a simple, quiet yes. "I know that you two have not been getting along very well for…trivial reasons, as one may state."

"Yes, she hasn't been very responsive to me for the past few days. I suppose that I have made her upset by not taking her seriously when she informed me that she felt something was amiss…but…that has nothing to do with you. You're not the one who spoke to her at that time."

Chuckling ran through the air, startling the brunette with a sound that was rarely heard from Steiner. It wasn't a happy or sad laugh; it was more of an angry cackle. He was livid. Beatrix knew him well enough to recognize the deadly facets of his personality.

"Steiner…what exactly did Lilia say to you…?"

The shadows on the older man's face painted a tormented picture on his bold features; his pale face increasingly pallid in the light, making them even more ghastly than usual. For the first time in years, Beatrix cringed while looking at his face.

"It's not what she said, Beatrix, it's what she did," Steiner stated gravely before walking over to the window to put out his cigar on the sill. The muscles in Beatrix's face seemed to become horror-struck as well. Lilia must have committed a felony.

"W-What…what did she do?" Beatrix questioned shakily, not exactly sure that she wanted to know the truth. Steiner shook his head, not speaking, leaving the sound of Beatrix's breath to lurch through the air; catching then releasing nervously. Beatrix's vision caught onto the veins in his arms; they pulsed, thick, with anger and his grip tightened on the sill. She couldn't take the pressure. She _knew _something was wrong.

"Adelbert, please, tell me…" Beatrix trailed off, standing up from her spot on the bed to linger towards him, placing both hands on the armor that occupied his back, "Please."

She became part of his quivering, never ceasing from her spot behind him. She wasn't entirely sure whether or not he would ever tell her, she could only stand there with him and hope that he did.

"She…she's been carrying a romantic affair with the prince," he told her finally, at once banging his fists down onto the hard surface underneath him. This all but startled Beatrix, and she backed away from him.

"She…she has…?" She asked in disbelief, her voice cracking, "H-how did you find out?"

"It doesn't matter," Steiner said bluntly, turning to her, "I am absolutely ashamed of her. Unbelievable, Beatrix. Unbelievable."

Beatrix didn't quite know what to say. She formed an inkling that something strange was going on between them, but never thought of _that. _Somehow, she knew that wasn't what was wrong, universally at least.

"She should know better, by the gods, Lilia should know better!" He very well shouted, eliciting a reaction out of Beatrix.

"Calm down, Adelbert, she's only 17."

"And as a 17 year old Lieutenant of the Alexandrian Army, she should be settled into the right mind, a more mature mind, Beatrix."

"I can't disagree with that, for she has been extremely disrespectful lately, which she should not be at her stage, but she is still young! They make mistakes, the young ones. This one is trivial. Let it go. Prince Zylan will eventually find out-

"Prince Zylan has agreed to all of this under Lilia's judgment," the words came off seedily, Beatrix taken aback, "She convinced him of such foolery."

There was no reply from Beatrix.

"How could she have committed such an atrocity, Beatrix? I just do not understand, not a bit. I thought we had taught her more efficiently! I don't have even a hunch as to where could have caught onto such appalling behavior…"

"Maybe Zylan himself rubbed off onto her. He's not exactly an angel, you know. He has traits of his father. Adelbert, the queen herself even has a streak in her…" Beatrix claimed, moving quietly over to Steiner, who turned his back to her.

"What are you referring to, Beatrix? That we should just excuse this conduct and pretend that it never occurred?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then what do you propose that we do?"

Beatrix's feet shifted on the carpet unsurely, throwing a finger to her lips in order to think. Steiner could sense her uncertainty even when not looking upon her.

"I…I do not know," She finally replied, shaking her head.

"Well, we need to bring her to her wits. We need to punish her justly, yet strictly to make sure that she never does anything of the sort again," Steiner told her, still tackling his inner rage, offering his voice the edge it needed to scare Beatrix, completely.

"What exactly are you planning on doing?" her response came out in a raspy whisper, knowing that whatever Steiner was planning was not going leave Lilia faring any better. The tall, armored knight stood tall and didn't sigh, shifting, if a bit squeakily, to bring Beatrix into his vision. Daringness overtook his eyes in a blanket of passion, yet his mouth was overturned into a grand frown, spooky in the colorless light.

"I have to bring her to her knees."

The paladin's face twisted into confusion, leaving Steiner with a pang in the lower of his stomach. Darkness had overtaken her voice, too.

"Are you going to relegate her?"

Steiner nodded sadly at the General.

"Not only that, but I have to expose her to the king and queen in her presence, just to make _sure _she never generates such madness again."

Beatrix knew exactly what that meant.

"What?!" She shouted out, but she sensed no fear or remorse from him, as she usually did, "why would you even dream of such! You're going to…you're going to crush her to bits, Adelbert!"

"I don't care. What she has done is nearly unforgivable, Beatrix. How could you even defend her, after she has presented you with such insolence?"

"Adelbert, what is the matter with you? You love Lilia! I know you do! You can't even find it in your heart to forgive her?"

"Forgive her?!" Steiner yelled at her, outraged, moving closer to her from across the room, "someone dearly needs to stop the damn girl!"

"You can stop her without tearing her down!" Beatrix insisted, also stepping up to him, "You don't have to do this!"

"**She is getting in the way of the royal crowning! That is a very important time for Zylan and the woman he chooses to marry!" **Steiner argued, moving his hands up and down to make a clear point. Beatrix invaded his personal space, closing in, her face dead in front of his.

"**Who said that Zylan was even getting married?"** Beatrix fought.

"**The queen informed me he was going to propose!" **

"**That's just wonderful Steiner, but what about Lilia? All of this is going to absolutely kill her!"**

"So be it."

Beatrix gasped, leaning back to view the contempt on his face, appalled at his words.

"So even when you know that there could be an easier way of handling this, you chose to embarrass her in front of the whole royal family and council?" hissed Beatrix, her eyes reminiscent of a snake's.

"Well, not in front of the army. That would be superfluous." Steiner admitted.

"What you are about to do would be superfluous enough, and it is unnecessary," Beatrix corrected him, crossing her arms.

"I do not care. This needs to be done for everyone's sanity, including hers."

Steiner began to take off his armor by removing his breastplate and chainmail. Beatrix wasn't finished with her side of the argument.

"This will not ameliorate her pain, nor will in create sanity, Adelbert. You are most certainly going to make things more difficult than they need to be!" Beatrix told him, interrupting his unclothing by roughly slamming her hands onto his shoulders, "She is already going through a hard time as it is. Don't make things worse! She will find her way!"

Steiner shrugged her off, and walked to the other side of the bed to avoid her advances.

"With my guidance," Steiner snorted, clearly disagreeing with his wife. Beatrix leaned over the bed and crawled to him.

"I am begging you Steiner, please, please do not do this! This is absolutely going to break her spirit!"

Steiner took a glance at his wife's sad, pleading eyes, yet he remained unconvinced.

"Maybe that is what she needs, Beatrix."

"Creating pain for your daughter is not the way. I have experienced negative parental interference more than once in my life and let me tell you, if hurt me more than it healed me."

"How would you know?"

"Adelbert, I lived through a situation as such for sixteen years of my life! Don't do the same thing to my daughter!"

"And who is going to stop me, Beatrix? Certainly not yourself!"

"Because I can't control what you do, Adelbert, you will do what you please," She crowed, veins pushing through to the surface of her facial skin.

"Then leave it be. Everything will be fine in the end."

"And what if things aren't fine? Then what will you do?" she hissed spitefully.

Steiner didn't answer her question, but rather continued to concentrate on stripping off his armour. Beatrix grabbed his hands to keep them from working, and pushed a knee to his bare chest, forcing him to look her in the eye. His face showed that he was less than amused.

"Adelbert. You carry on with your plan and I guarantee you will lose her. I guarantee you." Beatrix pleaded, his face softening slightly. The next words she choked out were not easy, for they came with a sour taste in her mouth.

"And you will cause for me to lose her, too."

Steiner snarled at her, soon frowning and shaking his head, positive on what he was doing to do. Beatrix gently backed down, reclining into a hunch. He removed the last of his armor and placed it all in a special box, locking it up with a key he kept in his bedside drawer. Sitting on the bed, he placed his head in his hands and sighed, remaining there quietly, coagulating the air with his unwanted silence. Beatrix waited for a reply that never came. With a soft thud, she collapsed on the bed and stayed put, her curls in a mess around her head, clashing in colour with the mint blue sheets. Only a single tear escaped her eye, not bothering to wipe it away. It travelled down her cheek, leaving a wet streak and plopping onto the pillow. She eventually drifted to sleep with deep sorrow in her heart as she stared at her husband's scarred, bare back, knowing that he would not change his mind.

Beatrix was going to lose her daughter because there was nothing she could to stop either of them. She could not keep Steiner from doing what he pleased, and she could not warn Lilia after their fight, yet it was almost as if Beatrix was neglecting the two people she loved the most, somehow.

She was trapped in a position of betrayal for the third time in her life, but this time there was no way out.

Lilia was as good as gone.

* * *

In Lilia's mind, another day was spent. Wasted.

The only thing that kept her occupied was training for war. Even that became a bit tedious at times and her mind would often wander to places she rather it didn't. After all was said and done, she was always back in her room, in the same compromise, with the same feelings. The old saying was true; time _did _heal her pain to certain extent, but not completely. It felt nice, not having to worry about him and everything that he was up to for once, though she dearly missed the sparkle and glow of his eyes, and the smile the got her hooked in the first place. She missed the way they would fool around and the way they would often have a ball. She even missed the way they would bicker over minor matters, finding him to be charming, nevertheless. The thought tickled her very being, soon finding herself shuddering from an overexposure of positive thoughts. It felt good for once, and she wondered how long her decent mood would continue as she stared out her window at the sky that was flooded with so many colors; red, orange, yellow, and an ominous gray. The colors meshed oddly, Lilia frowning at such a different looking sky, rising from her bed to get a closer view. The nearer she got to the window, the more evident it became that it was going to storm in an unfriendly sort of way. Not wanting for the rain to soil her room, she quickly shut the window, smudging up the view in her vision. Lilia frowned at the heavens, speculating what could be brewing in its infinite space.

_Knock, knock._

Two light taps rang through her doorframe. Lilia turned around in surprise, hoping the person knocking wasn't her mother. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the door, opening it up to reveal her father standing there rather tensely, yet he had a forced sort of smile plastered on his large face.

"Oh, father! What do you need?" Lilia asked, as he usually didn't come to visit her after dinner.

Steiner frowned a bit, shuffled his feet, and turned his attention back to his daughter.

"Well Lilia, I want you to meet me in the courtyard for a matter that is extremely important to your knighthood."

Lilia's whole face rose in wonder. She had anticipated the moment when she would finally face her father in a winning battle. She knew she could not fail; not now. Lilia smirked.

"You want to battle me, father?" Lilia question, smug. Steiner chuckled in response, and nodded. Lilia agreed, nodding back.

"Be down as soon as you can," Steiner said before walking away from the door and clanking down the hall. Lilia poked her head out to watch him then closed her door, standing back to back with it. Heavy breathing began in excitement, and in feeling her chest she knew that she could do it. She could defeat her father once and for all. He grabbed her sword at the foot of her bed and held it to the light, seeing her reflection on its gleaming surface. Once feeling confident that it was in decent condition, she brought it to its sheath and placed it in, the sharp slicing sound ringing through her ears. The sound was enough to send her off the edge on confidence, and she smiled surely, tightening her right fist at her chest.

"_It's time," _she thought, grabbing the crystal handle of her door and turning it to enter the hallway, though a strange presence filled her being as she made her exit, stopping her in her tracks.

"_You're going to lose, you fool…" _the voice said, Lilia shaking her head at it.

"_Shut up," _She said to herself, thinking that it was just a voice of her own doubt telling her to quit. Lilia weaved through the castle halls confidently until she came to her destination, not expecting what awaited her.

**The voice had been right.**

* * *

Their ears did not deceive them. The undeniable clicking of her heels down the hall gave her away, so when she finally exited the castle, they stiffened their postures and didn't look her in the eye, which wasn't hard because she towered over most of them on her height anyway. The moment she arrived, Lilia felt a strange presence in the air, almost as if she wasn't wanted in the courtyard. As soon as she made her way through the crowd to her father, who was in the middle of the field, he was stiff as a board and as grim looking as death itself. Surrounding the yard were only people she knew; though not many. There were, of course, the royal siblings, including Zane who housed a simply evil expression on his face, the parents, Clare, and Lilia's own parents. Their eyes observed her slowly and silently as she trudged through the yard, the pupils small and the irises unusually dark. The clouds in the sky grayed their skin and forced their lips to a cold pink, a slight blush swiped up the cheeks. The strange part of it for Lilia was not the fact that they were gathered there; it was _how _they were gathered. They all seemed to gloomily gravitate towards one another, yet they were so far away in Lilia's mind, so distant. Why had they been so down? Wouldn't this battle be something to be excited for? The misunderstanding provided her with chills. Again her intuition was screaming at her to run, but it was certainly out of her nature.

"Lilia," the words came simply from his mouth, brisk and taut as the brunette beauty reached his space. Lilia stopped in front of him and bowed.

"Father…I am ready."

Steiner's grimace intensified, his eyebrows knitting to follow suit. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled the blade out, gleam bouncing from its recently polished surface. He held it up for everyone to view and allowed it to collect glory before he lowered it to fighting level and stance. Lilia was startled at his lack of introduction, but nodded expectantly and did the same, indicating that she was indeed ready to fight. Before she could make another move her eyes caught the gaze of another's; it was her mother's. Weak and nearly sickly, her gaze pierced the young girl's soul, so deeply so that Lilia drew back, inquiring in her own mind why Beatrix would ever look at her in such a way. Beatrix held the grace and posture of her usual self in any case, if ever ghostly. Lilia frowned at such and turned her head to take a look at the others. They all held the same, weak, saddened expression. A pang flitted inside of her, warning her of danger. She chose to ignore it once again.

"Are you ready Lilia?" the knight asked, his voice bottomless yet rich. Lilia twisted back to him and nodded fiercely.

"Indeed."

"Now focus…"

His eyes narrowed and he channeled in on her, making the first dash, sword held high at his shoulder.

"_The regular stance," _Lilia thought, _"easy."_

He attempted to smash into her shoulder, leveling down onto the body part, but Lilia was too quick. She countered with a slash at his arm but he caught the stroke, battling to overpower her hold on the sword. Lilia jumped back, again rushing in to throw the sword into his breastplate. He moved to the left, advancing to strike her leg but missed. They ended up simply studying each other's action for a good while, and not actually striking. Around the battle was an air of intensity that was undeniable to Lilia; for a moment her eyes roamed her surroundings. The area was somehow getting creepier…

"What is the matter, Lilia?" Steiner asked softly, seeming genuinely concerned. Lilia shook her head and focused her vision on his blade.

"Nothing. Let's go."

Her hands thrust up towards his face, in a more serious attempt to defeat him, but he blocked it, surprisingly, with his own sword, a risky move. Lilia took the advantaged moment to make a stab at his breastplate, but he somehow managed to move behind her, half-heartedly trying to strike but she made the save, turning around just in time to stifle the endeavor. Sweat beads formed on her forehead. She stared to get nervous, knowing that he could have done better.

"What are you trying to do?" Lilia whispered through her teeth, once again noticing all the eyes on her. Steiner simply smirked.

"No, Lilia. The real question is, what are _you _trying to do?"

Her features opened up, flaring. Before she knew it he was slashing away at her arms, legs, torso, and face, all being just barely dodged by the nonplussed teenager. She managed to find him in an inopportune moment and cut through his shoulder, dark red blood spurting out in a small stream. Steiner recoiled and took note of the injury, but paid no mind to it. He was clearly more concerned with something else. He gingerly placed his hand on the wound and let the blood seep through the fabric in his glove. He removed it and looked forth.

"Why did you do it?" He asked loudly enough so everyone could hear. The question stirred disturbance in Lilia's focus, cocking her head to the side.

"What are you talking about?" She questioned, an outline of aggravation in her voice, "Enough of this! Let's fight!"

She again slashed away at him, but no avail. He just kept his stealth.

"Not so fast, Lilia," Steiner countered, lowering his sword to slash her clearly unguarded leg. The same colour of blood came pouring and covered Steiner's arm. In shock, Lilia fell back, limping.

"W-what the…?"

"**You know what you've done. Do not try and deny it anymore!"** Steiner near shouted, throwing Lilia into a panic. The first drop of rain fell onto her wound, stinging it. The watery mess falling down was going to make the fight even more difficult for her.

"_Shit," _She thought. He was angry at her, but she honestly could not think of a legitimate reason why. She straightened her stance and charged at him once more, this time aiming for his own legs, but he was somehow too fast for her, making another slash across her back, slicing through the white flower insignia in the purple fabric.

"**Ahhhhhh!"** Lilia shouted, whipping around to come sword to sword with him. She panted relentlessly, staring into his unusually cold eyes. Warm blood trickled down her back into her underwear, creating a gooey, uncomfortable sensation in her privates.

"_Why…why can't I get a grasp on him?!"_

Her teeth clenched. Mouths drooped, agape.

"I am extremely disappointed in you," He shouted, almost confidently. The tone in his voice caused her to crack, for she was only concerned with winning. Her rage took the best of her, a lack of control that could be deadly to one's skill. She wanted to get it over with.

"**Errrrraaagghhhh!"** She screamed as she shot at him, blindly moving her sword around to wherever she could. Tears escaped her eyes in a frenzy; she knew she was losing and she couldn't handle the pressure. Lilia Steiner _never _lost a battle.

Until now.

Lilia felt pain and horror take its grip on her, and soon enough her father took the hilt of his sword and bashed it into stomach, just as she had done to her own mother, but this version was worse. Steiner kept it there as Lilia cringed and convulsed, digging it in further than it needed to be, turning it back and forth for effect. Lilia coughed up a good bit of blood.

"**Climhazzard!"** Steiner shouted, a ray of red light surrounding the brunette, and soon contracting into her like a magnet. The slash fell across her whole torso, soon flying through midair and skidding onto the ground not long after. Lilia could feel the gash in her body and the brush burns all along hr arms, legs and neck. The rain took over her face, drenching it. She felt lifeless, like a doll, but somehow even more helpless than that in all her agonizing, throbbing pain. It was too unreal for her to grasp.

**Defeated.**

The girl lay there, quivering and aching, eyes slammed shut. Steiner stepped toward her slowly, Lilia hearing this and forcing open her eyes. Amazingly enough, everything around her was clear and sharp, the darkness on all of the faces, the gray of the sky, the rain that continued to fall down onto her face, splattering in icy, wet nodes. Eyes that stung couldn't hinder her perception, all things around her were wrong. They were almost evil. Lilia knew how pathetic she must have looked on the ground, so defeated, so weak. The expressions they all carried told her that she was indeed pathetic; Zidane's, Garnet's, Zylan's, Crystal's, and especially her father's. He towered over her, rage filling his eyes, fists balled, mouth turned down farther than usual. The first stoke of lightning appeared, thunder soon after making itself audible. It suited the situation perfectly.

"Lilia, my daughter," He started, eventually moving around to face everyone, "has committed a serious offense against the royal kingdom. She has single-handedly tried to destroy the relationship between Clare and Zylan, and has even had romantic relations with our prince, which is forbidden under rule #24 in the code of knighthood. Lilia knew about this and chose to continue on with her foolishness nonetheless…"

He shifted back to Lilia. The girl in grass was too weak to look shocked, but she would if she remembered how. Not only did he know, he was exploiting. Lilia could not believe her ears, or eyes.

Another flash of lighting, then the crackling of thunder.

"And it is my obligation, or more the General's, to tell you all that her duty as a knight will be suspended and she is being demoted to major general. Another one of the more skilled females will be replacing her as General of the Alexandrian Army come crowning. Beatrix could not bring herself to tell you all, so I took the responsibility. And that will be all."

The last word rolled off of his tongue like fire in Lilia's ears, her eyes catching the last of his frame moving back towards the castle. She could not believe what he had just done to her. Moreover, she could not accept that her mother and friends let him do such a thing as publicly embarrass her in front of everyone besides the army and the town. Lilia managed to move herself into a sitting position, the world around her flitting and flickering, her vision still clear, yet shaky. Her head throbbed uncontrollably, a migraine in the making. First, she placed a hand to her head and looked over at her mother, who just stared at the ground in shame. Her eyes climbed over Zylan, Crystal, Clare, all in shock over the recent events. Even the king and queen looked a bit shocked, but they reserved it and kept melancholy. But Zane, little, puny Zane was _smirking, _hands on his hips, proud about one thing or another_._ Lilia's eyes must have met them all at once at least one hundred times, for she kept on scanning their faces repeatedly until the rain filled her eyes to the brim and she could not see any longer.

With such, the once Lieutenant General rose up, using her sword for support yet still struggling greatly. She staggered toward the castle, fighting against the rain that was blowing into her face and the wind that seemed to create sharp cuts of coldness up and down. She could hear the whispers behind her and it sickened her how each and every one of them just stared and pitied her, but she didn't say a thing. She continued to limp to the castle, regretful that she was even born.

**Something that she took a lifetime building was taken down in just a matter of seconds.**

**

* * *

  
**

For at least two hours, she did nothing but bite her nails off, until they were down the little stubs on her fingers. She should have been resting, sleeping. It wasn't going to happen.

It came to her then. She knew what she had to do.

It took her some time to think, but she was positive about the next stage of her seemingly pathetic life. The scorned teen dragged out a leather sack from her closet, one she used when she traveled short distances, and started throwing necessities inside, potions, remedies, tents, and a bit of food she stored in her room for emergencies. Of course she would need her sword, and her armour. She threw them all into a pile on top of her bed and looked around her room to make sure that there wasn't something she missed.

This was it. She was going to leave, and leave for good. She wasn't trying to be a drama queen, but she knew she had to do something to redeem herself, and that something wasn't anything that she could do around Alexandria. She needed to run away, to the place where the most trouble in the land was brewing, The Dark Kingdom. Lilia planned it all out in her head; she was going to invade and infiltrate, killing off as many scumbags as possible before making an assassination attempt at the king.

That wasn't the hard part. Lilia knew very well that she wasn't coming back alive.

A fulfilling, prosperous life didn't really matter to her in those few moments as it mattered to her all her life. The most important thing for a woman's integrity was her confidence. Lilia had none as of the hour, but planned to gain some, even if it meant risking her life. After what she did, and she knew it was wrong, she had to make it up to everyone somehow; the king, queen, Zylan, Crystal, and even her mother and father. The only way to do that was to do the single most helpful and brave thing one could do for their country; and that is risk their life. She was honored to do so, immediately beginning to ponder what exactly Valhalla would look like. In this train of thought, she started to write a letter with stationary and ink she kept inside her desk drawer, feeling the need to write something to her parents, as the very least. It had taken her over a half an hour to do so, but once it was finished, a small tear escaped from her eye as she read it over, sad to think of what her parents' reaction would be. She couldn't say goodbye to them in person. Surely, it hurt her, but she was ready to do it any way she could. She had suffered way worse, she thought, though dearly loving her parents in a true way, despite what each of them had done.

There was a knock at the door suddenly, Lilia running over to her bag on the bed to block it from view. Crystal entered briskly, her hair a raven, stormy mess, eyes laced with fury and desperation all at once. Standing there, glaring at Lilia with intensity, she whispered a few words that Lilia was just not in the mood to hear.

"What the _hell _happened back there? Are you insane?!"

"Not right now Crystal," She muttered as she quickly turned back to her bags. Crystal caught sight of them and her mouth hung to the floor.

"W-Where are you going?!" frantically the princess asked, meeting Lilia's rough gaze.

"I'm leaving this place," Lilia answered simply.

"Well good, maybe you should, because you blew it, big time! And I hope you're happy Miss Temper. If you would have just kept your cool and thought better of the situation-

"Oh, and you have a lot of room to talk! You did nothing to help me out in this whole time!"

"I didn't know what was going to happen!" Crystal spat, throwing her hands to the air, "I had no idea your father was going to completely rat you out to the whole royal court!"

"I'm not talking about that. I'm saying that you've been nothing but a selfish bitch the whole time we were in cahoots! You were only out for yourself!" Lilia exclaimed, pointing a finger straight at her nose, Crystal proceeding to smack it away.

"Don't point your finger at me!"

"Go away," Lilia finished with her, kneeling to look under her bed for valuables. Lighting flashed outside her window, followed by a rumble that made Crystal jump about three feet into the air. After her brief moment of terror, she turned back to a constantly packing Lilia.

"Wait!" the young princess tried, grabbing her arm before she went too low under the bed, "I know, I know, I've been selfish but it's only because I wanted to be queen, Lilia."

Lilia rolled her eyes and stood up to tower over her.

"Well, I kind of figured that one out a long time ago."

Crystal brought her hands and interlaced them at her chest, biting her bottom lip as she usually would when she was nervous or wrong. Lilia just stared at her for a few moments before going back to her business. Things were silent as she watched the paladin pack her leather sack, eyes traveling as Lilia traveled.

"So…you're really going…?" Crystal asked quietly, eliciting a response from Lilia, a brandish of a hand while gingerly sitting on her bed. The floor seemed like a good place to keep her eyes.

"…Yes, Crystal."

Lilia's friend frowned, scratching her head.

"You know, you don't have to do this. You can still apologize for everything…"

"That won't get me my position back," Lilia relied coldly.

"But you can still work your way back up! It surely won't take you that long…"

"Are you kidding? Do you know how long it will take for me to be appointed General? Until Felicia dies or retires. By that time, I'll be old or dead, too." Lilia stated knowingly, incredulous at the idea of a future in Alexandria. The princess sighed, knowing it was all but the truth.

"It was all Zane's fault."

His statement transcended Lilia's understanding of the situation.

"..What?"

Crystal's mouth transformed into a straight line.

"Well, he told your father about you and Zylan…apparently he had been spying on you."

Lilia frowned deeply and shook her head, but there was no more she could do.

"I only wish I would have been more careful against the brat…I should have known he'd been snooping around."

"Don't worry Lilia, I've already given him quite the bruising…"

She trailed off. It was silent.

"You know…my being queen doesn't really matter anymore. All I want to see is you and Zylan happy, honest," Crystal broke through the awkwardness, smiling warmly.

"But we won't be happy together and I'm afraid that's the end of it. I have to be going…"

Lilia went inside her closet and placed her hand on a soft white cloth with red patterns and a hood. It was long enough to disguise anyone yet not be a bother while running, so she pulled it out, revealing it to her friend, soon slipping it over head and pulling the hood over. Crystal's eyes showed a deep sadness, but she smiled anyway.

"You don't have to do this Lilia, really," Crystal began, choking out the tears. Lilia dashed up to her and gave her a great big hug despite their quarrel. Light, soprano sobs entered Lilia's ears, causing her to hug Crystal even tighter.

"Crystal, really…you have been the best friend a girl could ask for even if you are a bit vain and spoiled. I mean that in the most sincere way possible."

She took herself back a bit to look into Crystal's sky blue eyes, red at the sides but breathtaking as she cried, and Crystal chuckled, not really knowing what to say but rather placing her hands around Lilia's head.

"You are the best friend a girl could ask for even though you're tough and really, really mean," Crystal returned, smirking before coughing a bit.

"In all seriousness, though…I love you Crystal. Thank you for…everything."

He two girls looked into each others eyes thoughtfully for another moment, before sharing one last hug and a final goodbye.

"Good luck, Lilia," Crystal whispered, hands at her lap. She bowed her head in respect at the former solider of the army, immediately after saluting her. Lilia saluted her back and turned around to finally leave, but stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh, yes…"

She ran over to her desk where the letter was and placed it lightly on her bed, knowing her parents would find it there. While she was there, she grabbed her bag and her sword, knowing she would need it.

"It's a letter to my parents. You know, a final goodbye." Lilia explained to Crystal, and she nodded considerately before embracing Lilia again, for the very last time.

"Goodbye, Lilia." She whispered.

"Bye, Crystal. I love you."

"Love you too!" She blurted out a little too loudly. It didn't matter now. Lilia exchanged a tender, fleeting glance with Crystal before dashing out of the room, leaving her there, lonely and cold, only the patter of the rain to keep her company. Lilia dashed out of the castle as quietly as possible. She hurried through the soaking town, grabbing the attention of peasant passerbys in their ponchos and ultimately she scaled the slimy gates of the kingdom, making her descent to the Castle that towered itself high off to the east in the distance. The journey wasn't going to be easy, nor pleasant, but she knew what she had to do before she passed on. She took the time to look back, once last time, at the castle that she had called home for so many years. She saluted it proudly, and began her journey through the blackening dusk.

And for once in her life, she began to be truthfully proud of herself.

* * *

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_I have decided to leave Alexandria for good. I will not be coming back. I know that this is all so frank and sudden, but I feel that this is something I must do, for myself, for the King and Queen, for Alexandria, for the Army, and especially for you two. Alexandria is my home. It is my birthplace and I was hoping that it would be my death place. It had treated me so well over the years and has given me a sense of hospitality and home over my existence and I could not be happier or more thankful for that. I have done much to disgrace this country, and in its honour I am leaving to serve it. I will be attempting assassination at The Dark Kingdom, and you know very well what this means for me and my future. I have thus accepted it and hopefully I will finally make you two proud, as I have been waiting to do for all my life. This is my chance, my moment. Do not come after me. Only know that your one and only daughter has done something for her kingdom; something valiant, brave, respectable and charitable. I want you two to be in peace and happiness with your lives knowing this. I wish you two all the best for the rest of time, and I love you two more than anything on Gaia. Thank you for everything._

_Love,_

_Lilia Steiner_

_By the way, mother…I apologize. For everything._

Beatrix's eyes quickly scanned the letter, at first to stunned to even think. Only a few hours ago her daughter was here, her fresh scent concentrated in the air above.

"_She's…gone…"_

That was all Beatrix could bear to think of before it sunk in for good. The infamous grip of hers loosened, slowly, inching towards the floor, the letter fell to the carpet, making a slight brushing sound as it landed. It made itself seemingly comfortable there, for it didn't move any further. All at once she became impaired--

**Her vision blurred.**

**The room started to spin.**

**Only colors, illuminating, dimming, blurring, sharpening.**

**Her stomach was upset.**

**Her head hurt.**

**Her heart ached.**

**Her soul shattered.**

She knew it was coming, something inevitably horrid, and this was it, the moment all the demons waited for, the grand finale. The death.

In this single moment, Beatrix's limp body tumbled to the floor, her head, torso, and legs hitting with a shaky thump, sounds fading in her ears to the equivalent of underwater thickness. The General's eyes flickered slightly before they rolled back into her head behind her lids. The letter lay next to her still, as proof of her sudden fall. It had been the first time the General had been knocked out cold in _years._

The reason had been quite excusable.

_**Thump, thump.**_

_**Thump, thump.**_

_**Darkness.**_

_**Thump, thump.**_

_**Thump, thump.**_

_**His eyes.**_

_**Thump, thump.**_

_**Thump, thump.**_

_**The evil…**_

Steiner found her in the room later on, passed out cold, not expecting her to be there at all. He flipped her over onto her back and checked for her pulse with his middle and pointer fingers. There it was, lively, though her skin and lips held no distinguishable colour. He pressed his ear to her mouth; the breath was there, present yet shallow. Her hair was frizzy and out of its usual order. Drops of moisture were visible on her forehead and even her red collar, proof that she had been crying. Steiner made his way down to her hand, tracing along the soft skin of her wrist, finding he letter at that instance. He grabbed it and started to read, his eyes running over a few lines before turning back to his wife, his own eyes translating his dismay. He understood why she had fainted.

"_**Beatrix!"**_He yelled.

_**What?**_

"_**Beatrix!!"**_

_**Huh?**_

"_**Beatrix, wake up!!!"**_

…_**It's over Steiner.**_

The blackness engulfed her consciousness. She, too, had vanished.


	8. Out Cold

hirrDaggertrepe: It's been a while since I updated! Time for a continuation to the suspense! Enjoy.

Song of the chapter: Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead

**So deep in her sorrow; life was unfathomable but it was infinite and **_**so real**_**.**

Step after step Lilia could feel the Alexandrian mud sinking into the soles of her boots. Grass underfoot and any other organism stood not a chance against the weight of her body and the burden of her sword. Her white mage's cloak made no use to her as it may have an hour ago. It was soaked all the way through, along with her lilac fighting jacket and under armour. The water felt as if it were seeping into her bones, the chill of it quite similar to her frigid heart. All around her there was nothing but grass, wind and rain, a typical Alexandrian landscape. There were no trees or forests, lakes or hills, but there were the mountains in the far off distance, and the canyon not to far from where she stood. Her knees were buckling, legs tiring, feet sore, hands and arms tried with much patience. This made Lilia realize just how far she'd travelled in just a matter of hours. The night was cold, wet and lonesome. There was not a person in sight but monsters roamed like natives, the blood of the beasts not able to thicken and dry on her blade, the rain washing the body fluids away until they were nothing at all. Snouts, ears, legs and torsos has been ripped to shreds by their sword of doom, the sword Lilia thrust in and out of each and every one of them without reaction or thought; it was still mechanical and second nature to her. So many other things continued to swell deep within her psyche that she could hardly pay attention to such minuscule matters. The castle was in a short distance, with every step she became closer, with every step she remembered the sharp words of her father, ringing in her ears. With every step she came closer and closer to her death, which she feared was inevitable, though in her mind it was well deserved. Everyone had their march towards death. This was hers. Unlike most, though, she was not afraid of death. She was trained not to be.

"_This is a good spot."_

Lilia decided it was time to give it a rest for the night. If she had continued on any longer, she would have been a boar's late night snack. It wasn't as if her parents or the army would ever chase after her anyway, so she had no hope of being found. The area where she decided to stop was a calm area. Lilia sensed an unseen force keeping the monsters at bay, so she took advantage of the land that was in peace. She flipped open her bag and threw out a tent, which magically sprung to life, large enough for at least four people. It was a plain green tent with a moogle's fur ball on the top, wiggling and bouncing around on top of the point as if it knew joy. Lilia reached back inside her pack for a candle and some matches, soon realizing in disappointment she had forgotten them. Accepting her error, she scrunched the bag in her hand and patted it with the other, soon tossing it down onto the dampened ground. Deciding she wasn't exactly ready for sleep yet, she trotted over to the end of the plain, coming to a canyon, below the Ceebell river flowing like it always had and always would. Lilia sat on the edge of the cliff and stared down below, watching the waters continue to run over each other restlessly. Just as Lilia had taken time to recover herself, it soon occurred to her that the river never did, and that it never would. It would keep running and running until the end of Gaia. The thought saddened her in comparison to her own life. It wouldn't keep running. It wouldn't be full and rich with love. Her life had been virtually _nothing_ and that was the only thing that saddened her about her doom. In this, she remembered her scars from hours ago. She felt one specific cut throbbing on the skin of her face, and her hand slowly drifted her hand to its hot, thumping, newly formed scab that her father provided to her. Gently, she ran her finger down the slightly sticky surface, the clotted blood forming as a barrier to dirt and scum. Strangely, it angered her, starting to draw a dark emotion from deep down inside her throat, swelling with anger. Brutally, something possessed her at that moment and she took her fingernail and scraped off the scab in one slow, fine gesture. Dark red blood rushed down the pallid skin of her face, large drops of blood mixed with rain began sliding off one by one, becoming absorbed completely by the grass and dirt below. Taking in the gruesome sight, she managed a laugh. It was pathetic, the cut trying to heal itself. It should know better than her that it was no use. As the blood began seeping into her purple blouse, the wound gradually began scabbing up again. Lilia heaved a sigh and fell onto her back, watching the rain fall onto her from above. The sky was so black that it nearly scared her. She couldn't distinguish a thing, but she could hear the trees whistling from the forests and the river water surging from below. She closed her eyes and tried extremely hard to be one with nature. She kept telling herself that she was the wind and almost managed to convince herself that she was the wind. In the end, she disconnected, knowing she didn't belong with the wind and gave up, opening her eyes again just to face more darkness. Open. Close. Open. Close. The night sky was no different than the obscurity of when her eyes were shut. Next came her tongue, creeping out from its dark cave that is Lilia's wet mouth, trying the rain for itself. Lilia tasted the dirty drops fall on her tongue, and once she gathered enough, she closed her mouth with her tongue back in and moved it all around, making the unclean flavor more intense. A great sigh of relief escaped her as her chest rose to infinity.

Lilia felt so alive at that moment. She could not exactly put her finger on why, but it was more alive than she had ever felt in her whole life. She was _free. _She felt like a god. She felt like a true knight. The rain continued to pitter-patter down onto her whole body, and each beat corresponded with Lilia's own heart. It was such a joy, so enriching to her. Tonight was her last night. She wouldn't have to worry about any human, silly things anymore. She wouldn't have dilemmas over the army or Zylan or her parents. There wouldn't be anything. She would never wake up. All the pain would vanish, just like it had in that spot.

She loved it so much that she decided to forget about her tent and just sleep there. After all, it was her last night on Gaia.

…_**Or was it?**_

Waking up was like a dream itself.

Oddly enough, it had been the best sleep of her life. No bad dreams, no night terrors. No interruptions. No worrying about the next day. She sat up, her hair a huge mess and her face dry from the shining sun after the rain, and stretched, beams of light weaving through her reaching form. She placed her hands onto the still damp ground for support and looked around her. The landscape seemed so different during the day. It was calm, peaceful, serene and beautiful. The endless fields of grass had gotten longer and longer since she left Alexandria and it was only then that she noticed its shimmering, lovely beauty. There were many different types of greens intertwined in the grass, so many that Lilia's eyes could not catch every single colour. The mountains in the distance, too had their own specific spectrum of colours, with chalky purple, whites and greys. They stood so tall and brave-like that Lilia, for a moment, wished she were a mountain. The birds up in the sky squawked and flew overhead, the female warrior shooting her head to look above, smiling at the birds so full of life. In that moment, she noticed the sky, _so_ blue and full of tranquility. There was not a cloud in the sky to disturb its aura. Lilia closed her eyes and tilted her head down to her chest, placing a hand to where her heart would be inside her chest. It was such a striking day and she was glad that her life may end on such a wonderful day.

An electric, horrific thought jolted through her brain at that instance.

Today had been her birthday. Today she turned seventeen. April 27th.

Every emotion that brought her joy flew out the window and Lilia grasped her stomach in horror, falling face first into the ground. Breaths trailed after, like a fish on a line, they kept bobbing in and out of her lungs. Not sure when the horror would quit, Lilia slumped onto the ground completely, allowing her heart to thump onto the gorgeous ground, possibly ruining all its beauty. Hands shaking, she forced herself to rest them, also. All a sudden, the world didn't seem so beautiful.

"_My birthday…today…on the day I'm supposed to die? When I'm only a few hours from my destination…impossible!"_

It was entirely possible, unfortunately, and Lilia accepted it after laying there, lifeless, for about a half an hour. In that time, she recollected every single birthday she remembered, and even began to cry a bit because she knew her parents would feel the sting of the pain too. Freshly seventeen, fresh to die. She refuted the thought, knowing that she would run right back to them if she thought about it anymore. Forcing herself off the ground, she limped over to the tent and her bag, picking up the bag gingerly and grabbing an ether out of it, uncorking the glass bottle and gulping down the sour, tangy liquid. After wiping her face with the remedy, she casted cure on herself and continued back to the edge of the canyon and threw the bag full of potions and other items off the cliff, nodding to herself that it was the right thing to do. She would not go back to Alexandria for any reason. Lilia ran back to the tent and gave it one last look before picking it up and throwing it over the cliff. She breathed in a sigh of relief and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and drew it out, the blade shining with glory in the sun. She had started at it many a time, but this time it seemed different. It was shimmering with a magical glow that she could not ignore. She smiled at it and knew its reasons, embarking forward through the fields toward the castle to where she met her fate.

Her only eye, fit to rot from all it's viewed, shot open and surfaced to light that came in a form too bright to absorb.

She blinked furiously. Her focus was off. Straight above was just a blur of light. A few more blinks and she gained shapes, undefined, yet they were shapes all the same. Eventually the world sharpened and she was staring directly to the pattern of the ceiling, swirls and points and jagged lines. Off white was the color, and off while was all she saw. What exactly had happened? She racked her brain in that instance, laying there lifeless and unmoving, memory moving back into her like a creeping fog. She wasn't so old, merely 46; yet she felt as if she were 60. Instead of continuing with her memory, she attempted to sit herself up. Stomach muscles clenched and withstood the pressure. Easily enough she sat up, now vertical, though her head started to spin. A hand found its way to her shoulder, gently pushing her back down.

"Slowly now, General. Do not try to recover yourself too quickly!"

She recognized that voice. Her eyes snapped over to her left and they met a yellow beak. Above her was Dr. Tot, the medical and psychological doctor of Alexandria. He must have growing ancient; the wrinkles under his face-consuming glasses growing more prominent, and his feathers were losing their bronze color. He donned the same attire as her always did; a red, tight blouse tucked into white pants, a blue tie around his stubby neck, and a surely expensive red leather overcoat with a white wrap around collar. He smiled ever so slightly.

"Why…am I here?" Beatrix asked, reclining to obey his orders. Her eyes remained on his, steady, brewing up a flame, it seemed. Dr. Tot frowned and sat on the bedside next to her, realizing that she didn't remember what had happened to Lilia. He placed a hand gently on her hand and slid off his glasses slowly with the other hand. His beady eyes stared right into hers, giving her the signal that the situation at hand was entirely serious. He breathed through his nose, she noticed, and he waited there to find the right words to say. His eyes searched the white sheets underneath him, until he came back up to meet her eyes once more.

"General…your daughter fled the premises. You fainted suddenly and Captain Steiner reported you here as soon as he found you. I am extremely sorry for your loss."

Beatrix remembered. In that second, she felt so lightheaded that she could have passed out again. It wasn't a wonder Dr. Tot made her lay back down.

"_She's gone." _Beatrix accepted in shock, blurry eyed and once again staring at the ceiling. She fought back the tears, crying wasn't something the General did. Only a tear or two escaped, Beatrix wiping them away furiously once she was again conscious, causing Dr. Tot to leave the room without another word, knowing he wasn't wanted. Beatrix bit her lip to stir up pain inside herself so that she could stop her bawling. She began to feel it working, tears subsiding, yet her face was still red and bloated. Her life had fallen to the pits, leaving her with not a clue. Pieces were shattered everywhere…memories, thoughts, feelings…and after so long, she had to start picking them up again. It was unbelievably hard not to cry at the thought, so she just frowned at herself and continued to inflict self-harm.

_Lilia._

The name flashed through her being. Everything reeled all at once, pictures flickering in and out of her brain like a slide show. _Click click click._

_Lilia._

Her beautiful emerald eyes and dark brown hair.

_Lilia._

Her alabaster skin and pearl white smile.

_Lilia._

Tall form, slender, yet muscular.

_Lilia._

Darker, calm voice with a hint of everlasting youth.

_Lilia._

The most beautiful , lovely creature Beatrix ever knew of.

And she was gone.

Beatrix did not a thing about it. She sat, tattered and worn, under her sheets and stared at the ceiling, not able to form a thought. Brain waves sent raging vibrations to her fingertips, which started to tingle with sudden blood loss, shaking and struggling to hold onto the sheets in which she clutched. Her jaw clenched in response, eyes tightening into slits, shouldering hunching without her consent. Her body proceeded to sweat, beads forming on her brow and arms, sending shiver up her beaten and bruised back.

Steiner opened her door walked into the room, clanking noisily, at that moment, stopping in the doorway with surprise that she was awake. Her anger refused to subside, and she stared at him with eyes that pierced his soul. He was taken aback at the scene, his wife muddled and clearly angry, her hair, skin, and clothes out of order. The way she screwed up her face towards him told him all that he needed to know.

Her breathing began to shallow.

"Beatrix…" he started lightly, taking small steps at first in caution, eventually speeding up to her bedside. He knelt beside her gingerly and stared into her face, which was as wide as all of Alexandria itself. He couldn't help but frown at such a face. He was in distress himself, but he didn't let it show. He tried a smile immediately after, and with a twitch, the smile prevailed. She didn't smile back. Next, his arm moved with ease up to her reddening cheek, flustered skin hot beneath his touch. It was only for a mere moment; Beatrix almost immediately slapped his hand away, intensifying her glare at him. He flinched and recoiled, not sure what he had done wrong. He hadn't received a moment to ponder it.

"**You bastard!"**

He understood. Beatrix blamed this all on him. Of course, she would, knowing her temper and tole in Lilia's life.

"**How could you do this to me? And your daughter? How could you do this to us, our family?"** she spat at him, eyebrows knitted and teeth clenching in her pauses.

"Beatrix…" He tried solemnly. She didn't let up.

"No. I don't want to hear it Steiner. You didn't have to do what you did. You could have handled it differently, in case you were not quite aware."

"Now wait a second," Steiner said firmly, standing up over Beatrix, "she needed to be put in line for what she did wrong. A general in the army CANNOT be acting in such a disgraceful fashion!"

"**This is not about being General, in the high ranks, have what you will! Our daughter has just fled the kingdom in a suicide attempt and we are never going to see her again. How can you not care about that?"**

"**I do care about that, Beatrix!"** Steiner fought back, fists clenched and arms straight down his side.

"**That's not what it looks like to me!" **Beatrix near well screamed, throwing the sheets away from her body and standing up to meet his face. They both glared at each other in rage, neither one willing to back down. The captain's jaw clenched and unclenched itself in response to her actions towards him and she continued to stare him down. Her lower lip trembled, only for a moment, before she spoke up again.

"You…you do not care about our daughter as I do, and that is quite clear," she spoke quietly, her eyes slowly drifting down to his mouth, swallowing her thickening saliva, and travelling back up to his eyes. His beady, dark brown eyes flickered for a moment, as if he were sorry, before returning to iron and stone.

"She needed to learn her lesson. You expect me to let her do something so monstrous without punishing her for it? It was her decision to run away afterwards in such immaturity and disgrace."

"Yes, and it was also her decision to do what she did and what right do you have to tell her whether it was in conduct or not?"

"I'm her father!" Steiner yelled, throwing his hands up. Beatrix stood unperturbed, "I have to punish her!"

"And I am her mother! I am the one who gave birth to her and nursed her and brought her into this world and raised her, for goodness sakes! You have no right to make MY daughter away from me, and in front of the whole entire army at that!"

Steiner just stood there, staring at her, eyes on fire. The fire inside his eyes dwindled, his lids drooping and his mouth parting. He didn't know how to respond. He knew the punishment was a tad cruel.

"You're pathetic," Beatrix spat, making her way out the door in a furious stride, hair flying behind her in waves of brown honey. Steiner followed on her tail with his own anger.

"Where exactly are you going?" He demanded to know.

"To gather the troops so we can get them prepared."

Her heels clicked on the marble with much haste. Steiner clanked behind, frantic as they entered the grand hallway.

"W-Where are you going?" Steiner stammered, following his wife up the Grand Staircase, complete shock with a hint of anger written all over his long, white face.

"I am going to inform the Zidane and Garnet that we will be assembling our troops into war. This whole fiasco has gone far enough, and I will not lend my daughter's life to such blasphemy. I will die in war before I ever let my daughter complete her suicide," Beatrix stated coolly, and Steiner stopped dead in his tracks on the stairwell, gaping at her swaying backside climbing the stairs with haste, not knowing what else to do. He couldn't give the General orders.

"But…but Beatrix!" He shouted after her, but she simply continued to climb the stairs to her destination. More furious than ever, he gained enough speed to land a hand on her shoulder and jerked her backwards unto him, so she fell on him and in return she tried to tug away from him, but his hold on her was too strong. She glared at him with all hell in her eyes.

"Let me go!" She shrieked in his face, her womanly emotions flooding through the tears welling in her eyes. Steiner recoiled slightly. It was rare that he had seen his wife like this. Tears all of a sudden flew out of her beautiful reddish-brown eyes and her face dapple, flushing furiously. She kept of pulling and pulling herself away until Steiner, stunned to silence, let her go. He had forgotten how sensitive she was capable of becoming, although she was a certainly a woman, often she didn't act much like a maiden. She just gaped at him in complete disdain her mouth slightly ajar with tears running on the edge of her upper lip, and he gawped right back.

"Beatrix…" was all he could mutter.

"Steiner," She managed to choke out, "if Lilia is dead…"

She paused for a moment to compose herself, wiping away her tears with the back of her hands and gaining back her dignity and posture with straightening her back and hardening her features. She took a deep breath in and out and closed her eyes before opening them back up to meet Steiner's loving, dark chocolate brown gaze. She tried to ignore how much she had always loved him at this moment, for there were some things she just could not live with, and one of them was what he had just done to their daughter.

"…then I don't think I want to be married to you any longer."

Steiner slowly took in what had just been said to him, eyes widening and mouth falling open after many seconds of a journey to realization. It creeped inside his ears like molasses and eventually reached his old heart, where it seemed to take out a dagger and stab him where it really mattered, where it really hurt. With this, Beatrix wiped away one final tear and clambered heavily onwards, leaving his pale, towering form to shake delicately, like a dying leaf in the fall breeze.

With her hair in a tangled, knotty, damp mess, and her purple warrior's attire ripped, torn and soiled, Lilia finally arrived at the black spear-point gates of the tall, dark fortress. As she looked at its vastness her pupils widened. It had looked even more dastardly up close. She licked her lips for a challenge, ready to taste the blood about to be presented to her, and even the zesty tang of her very own. In a swift motion she rubbed her hands together and prepared to scale the gate. She felt the heated friction in between her chilled palms, warming them up to a moist tingle. After placing her sword in its scaffold, she proceeded to take a hold of two slippery bars in front of her, and grasped onto them with all the force in her arms. With pressure, she lifted herself up enough to clamp her feet onto the metal, hoisting her up ever so slightly. Keeping the pressure in the bars, she remained elevated and quickly drew up her hands again with strain. Blood throbbed inside her arms and neck with the mere tension of the climb. Yet, it was not such a daunting task for Lilia, as her arms were extremely capable and full of strength from years of wielding heavy swords made of iron, steel, silver and even gold. The water around the bars, however, slickened them, making it harder for Lilia to successfully complete her climb. Once she got nearly to the top, she swung her left leg with great force above her head and twined it into the top of two of the spikes on the black gate, the foot finding itself a surface to semi-step on. With this leg alone, Lilia pushed herself up far enough to allow both of her hands to reach the top of the gate, grabbing onto the single horizontal bar that lay atop it. With a swift motion, she placed her other foot on top and landed herself in a frog-like position on top, looking fierce and as if she were ready to pounce. Rain cascaded down her face fast, water dribbling off her chin and hair, the wind blowing it icily. She glared at the castle from her high position and vowed to herself that she was going to do everything in her power to tear it and its people straight to the ground. Her green eyes glowed with angry fire, yet there was an experience thrill in them. She knew very well of the feeling, but had never experienced vigor so intensely. She had not a moment to waste, and her legs started once again to operate; they sprung her forward into the air, and she quickly yet gracefully landed on the soggy mud, one leg and arm extended outwards to soften the blow of the fall. She recovered quickly and made a dash forward towards the castle. The adrenaline pumped through her body with vigor and impatience. Every step she took she knew she was coming closer and closer to being face to face with death itself, yet she felt like nothing in the world could stop her now. She was so ready for the fight, the blood, the battle, the victory, and even the loss, for she knew nothing would be in vain. Every breath bore a thrill of power, of expectancy, and pride. Every time her feet hit the ground with a large, hefty _thud _shaking, tremblinglife reverberated inside of her physical, supreme being. Even her eyes, leaving death behind, were electrified with life and excitement.

Lilia Steiner was set on her mission.

It wasn't long after she started her dash that she met with the enemies. Blood thirsty and power hungry, she charged at the men with green and black armor, their cloaks and bandanas waving in the relentless wind. Their skin was of an ashen green color and their eyes were a deep, dark red. They had looked like any other soldier would, but they seemed more sickly and yet had much more agility. Their frames were very muscular and compact, nevertheless, they still seemed no match for Lilia. With her sword ripe for punishment, she scored through three of them at once in the first round without batting an eyelash, despite only having killed a man once in her life. Tops of heads, arms, legs, and parts of torsos fell to the ground in a bloody massacre. Lilia met with two more, both of whom she swiped through instantly, naturally being fast enough to run through their blood fountains. She bothered not to look back at their remains even to bask in her glory and continued on, blood already melting off of her purple uniform in splashes of flying ruby water. More and more came her way, a few slashing her in a pathetic fashion here or there, but she just tore them up with her skill and agility. She could not count how many were rushing at her, for she had slain too many. Lilia kept on running through the long yard leading to the castle without a town, until finally she realized she was outnumbered. Even for someone of her skill, it was overpowering. Hundreds and hundreds of them dashed towards her.

_Slash._

Two heads, gone.

_Slash._

Three pairs of legs, finished.

_Slash._

Right through their midrfits.

_Slash. Slash. Slash._

Lilia knew it was futile. She could feel her energy dwindling down to a complete halt. There had been too many of them, and she had not nearly enough potions to live it down.

"…**Shit."**

Eventually, one of the men faked her out, something she would have normally caught if she weren't down to such little life and energy. Her punched her in the face and slashed her across the nose, leaving her to recoil on the ground, blood falling onto a section of the ground below her feet. She knelt down, surrounded by men. She could feel the silence. She could feel the kill. She could feel the need to take her down. Lilia grasped the ground and experienced the mud slip through her fingers, the last sensation she would ever feel on Gaia. Tears poured out her eyes, though you could not see them, and she whimpered ever so slightly in the semi-silent, thick air, enough to reach a few ears. The rain continued to pour over her face, feeding more bloody water to the starving ground. Her eyes narrowed and then fell wide as she grabbed for the part of the ground which was sodden with her fluids. She took it in her right hand and watched her salty tears fall upon it, smiling ever so slightly.

"_**Goodbye…everyone,"**_ She thought as she closed her eyes. She felt a hand grab her collar and pull her upwards into the sky, gravity desperately struggling to pull her back down. Her eyes met the red eyes of one of the green skinned men, water falling from the sky onto his rough skin. He was grinning at her, yet it strange because Lilia didn't sense the need to kill from him. She pondered this in her mind as he quickly, and painlessly socked her straight in the gut. The air shot out of her lungs, leaving her raw and dry of air, her vision blackening until she finally fell out of consciousness. The last thing she saw was **his** wicked, long face, chuckling at her demise.

She could even hear his ear splitting cackle as it echoed through what was left of her consciousness.

Daggertrepe: Sorry that took forever to update! Whew! I'm getting back on the ball now, so stay tuned!


	9. Arthur

daggertrepe: Alright my peeps. I am so very sorry for my absence. I have just been so overwhelmed by my own life in the pas two years that I lost inspiration. But I have come back on the bandwagon to deliver you more BOAI! Enjoy!

_**Please tell me I can reverse my whole entire existence. Then maybe I won't make the same mistake twice.**_

Song of the chapter: Lost by VAST

It was as if an entire army itself had infiltrated every nerve she had in her head. The pain was so intense that once she finally opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness.

"_How…how am I alive?"_ She thought to herself, making an effort to bring her hand up to her forehead to feel her flesh, to see if she was still inside a body. While she attempted to do so, the top of her hand hit something warm and fuzzy, and Lilia soon realized that she had a blanket over her face.

"_Oh goodness, they think I'm dead," _Lilia thought to herself, assuming she had been covered up like a dead body would always be in Alexandrian tradition, right before burial. _"Well at least my parents found me and I am ok…but maybe I shall just remain here."_

Lilia put her arm down and sighed, recalling all the events of the past few days. She went from being on top of the world with nothing in her way to being the lowest of the low, the bottom, the pits. Just the mere thought of such agony made her want to cry, but she hushed the emotions running through her body and conjured up other unrelated thoughts.

"_Death might be nice," _She tried to convince herself, breathing deeply as to avoid any further emotion, _"Yes, nice."_

The red eyes of the green troll-like man flashed across her vision, and her eyes opened wide to the darkness yet again. She felt a terrible stabbing pain in her heart which caused her thrust upward in a jolt, causing her vision to somehow return, even if blurry. Lilia kept blinking to wear of the effects of what seemed like death, and once her vision finally set focus, she was shocked to see where she had actually been. Straight in front of her was a blood red wall, with tiny golden decorations in a pattern Lilia could not make sense of. She immediately looked to her left where there was a dark wooden door and a desk right next to it. Nobody occupied the desk, but there was a chair and writing utensils in a clay cup on top of it. To the right was a golden mirror, so lard and intricate designed, hanging heavily on the wall. The golden edges gleamed as the edges of the craft worked her eyes, and she was stunned by the artistry of it. She had a strong urge to look in it, but immediately flashed back to a dream she had a month before. Lilia's jaw dropped and her eyes lit up in horror, a hand slapping over her mouth. She forced herself to look down at her body after squeezing her eyes shut for a minute and was almost disgusted at what she saw. There were large bruises and cuts all along her legs and torso, and her arms were in very bad shape as well. She touched one of the bruises and recoiled in pain. Whatever had happened, and she couldn't exactly recall, must have been extremely painful and even deadly. Of course she remembered he fight, but the pain was just flooding back to her. She then remembered all the pain. She began to wonder why she was still alive and why she was seemingly in her dream with a slight variation when she took a glance at the rest of her body and shuddered. She was dressed in a lacy black bra and panties with red, wavy silk embroidery all around the edges of the lingerie. Attaching the lingerie to her body were tight strands of lace that wet down mid thigh and went circularly around each leg. The bra was similar, as there was a sort of thin corset connecting it to her abdomen, except it wasn't exactly a corset, but more like it was there for the design. The lingerie fit her very well, almost as if the size of her rather large bust and hips were known. It was the most bizarre thing Lilia had ever been dressed in, and the shock of it was enough to force herself to look in the mirror next to the large, red bed. She grabbed a hold of the mirror with both hands, clutching its sides in fear of what she might see. Thankfully, this time it wasn't her mother, all thought Lilia herself did look quite like her, except very beaten up. She had once black eye and wounds all over her face, but they looked like they had been cleaned, which puzzled Lilia.

"_Who would bother?"_

Her eyes traced the rest of her face. Beige, even skin, rosy cheeks, emerald green eyes, dark brown hair that curled vertically in ringlets, the downturned, full mouth, medium sized nose and of course her long bottom eyelashes, just like her father.

"_My father," _She growled to herself, turning away from the mirror in shame and disgust. What he had done to her was simply unforgivable. She wished she could rip the eyelashes right out. In her turning away from the mirror, she came across the door, which looked too similar to the one in her dream. She had a sudden urge to open it up and take a look, but she thought better of it and shook her head, fearing what she might see in the hallway. If it were anything like the hallway in her dream, she would not be able to handle the agony. So she sat herself down by the fireplace that was opposite the bed and watched the red and orange flames dance wildly in her vision, the light from the fire reflecting in her green eyes. She placed her head into her knees and assumed fetal position, feeling much like a baby on the inside. She didn't know where she was or how she got there, but she felt that if it were somewhere terrible that she probably deserved it. She tried to recall all the events, but found herself mauling over Zylan. The one she loved who did not seem to feel the same way. Her childhood friend, the one she knew better than anyone, tied together through a family bond. She smiled as she thought of his ocean blue-green eyes and muddy blond hair, but a pang of hurt ran through her stomach as she imagined him kissing Clare. Her thoughts then drifted to Crystal, her best friend. The petite girl with the sapphire blue eyes, pale skin and raven hair. No doubt the most beautiful girl in the land, but also the most stubborn. And then there was little Zane, the one who Lilia was sure ratted her out, with his icy, cold, mischievous eyes, grinning at her evilly in the rain. The fire was warm, and Lilia smiled, not sure when all the agony would end, or what was next for her.

"_Someone must live here, surely…" _She thought, and it was at that very instant that she heard footsteps and jerked around to look at the door, which didn't rattle an inch like the floor did. She heard someone jam a key into the keyhole and with the sounds of her pounding heart came the swooshing open of the door, and the man that stood there looked simply sinister. He smiled at Lilia as she took in his form. He wore black pants and boots and a red vest over top another fancy, lacy black shirt. A black jacket covered his back and a cape was attached to the top of it, making him look even dastardlier. He had brown hair, brown eyes and a goatee that covered half his face. While his teeth seemed clean and white, Lilia thought he should have foul, rotting breath to match the smile. He certainly was not a nice man.

"…Lilia…" He finally sputtered, eyes glowing with some sort of sick anticipation. Lilia immediately stood up and instinctively went for her sword, but stupidly found it wasn't there, and looked upon him in utter horror. She was half naked and unarmed. Useless. He was a good bit taller than her and looked as if he would put up a fair fight. His frame completely engulfed the doorway, one hand clutching the doorknob so tightly Lilia thought it would shatter into tiny pieces, and the other trembling by his side.

"Who the hell are you?" Lilia spat, eliciting a simple, soft laugh from the man.

"You will soon know," His deep, gravelly voice sounded, highly unpleasant to the ears. Lilia cringed, but that answer wasn't good enough for her. She clenched own fists in anger.

"What is your name?" She bellowed, and backed away from him as he came closer to her, "A-And why the hell am I dressed like this?"

"Again my dear, things you shall find out soon." He held out his hand to her and she eyed it suspiciously.

"Come," he cried, "And you will see everything."

Lilia shook her head and looked around the room for a way out. Nothing.

"I said come," the man said again, but this time firmer.

"Not until you tell me who you are and why I am here dressed like a tramp!" Lilia spat, and all of a sudden his hand was clenching her cheeks tightly together so that she couldn't speak. His face appeared closer to hers and as she had expected, his breath was nothing short of rancid. All of a sudden, it hit Lilia that this had been the man in her dream, as they had looked just alike. Lilia let out a small wail and the man realized who he was.

"Yes, Lilia, that was me in your dream. What a smart, smart girl you are…"

Lilia's eyes teared up in terror, but he let go of her face, and she fell to the floor. She was still too weak to fight him. He stepped closer.

"Get up, you silly girl," he demanded, grabbing her arm viscously and pulling her body up to meet his. Lilia had never been kicked around so hard in her life. She had no choice but to be up in his face, smelling his breath as he spoke to her, her face screwed up in displeasure. He again tried to speak to her.

"You will come with me, and you _will _find out. Come!"

Lilia had no choice. She was forced into a long, cold, grey stone hallway that made her shiver, goose bumps rising up all over her body. They came around a bend when they were met with another door in the dark corridor, and he opened it briefly and reached his free hand inside of it, not letting go of the death grip on her arm. He pulled out a dark blue cloak and demanded that she put in on. She had no objections, as the castle was freezing. He dragged her through the rest of the castle, proceeding to let her into each room and show her the extravagance inside. Lords and Ladies chambers of different colors, designs, upholsteries, fabrics, precious metals, jewels and anything that money can possibly buy. The living conditions were simply wonderful, almost as good as Alexandria castle's. He showed her inside the parlor, the kitchen with its ugly chefs, the storeroom where he kept the arsenal amongst other things, the Great Hall that was filled with portraits of himself and furnished with a long, ugly, green rug on tile floors and a dark, mahogany table. The man seemed to be a fan of very dark things. He also showed her the solar, the bower, the throne room, the bathroom, the pantry, amongst many other rooms. While he did so, he began telling her about his early life in Treno, and how he came from a noble family with endless amounts of money, explaining how he was able to come to such riches as having his own castle. Many of the details bored Lilia and she desperately wanted to know why he was even telling her this. She simply wanted to know who he was, what he wanted, and possibly get some shoes to warm up her feet. When they came to the dungeon, he threw her against the wall at the entrance, once more placing his face in hers and holding her hard against the stone by her shoulders. She was sure her back started to bleed.

"Do you really want to know who I am…I mean, who I _really am?" _he teased, freeing hand from her shoulder to run down her soft face, "Just like your mother…"

"What do you know about my mother?" Lilia shouted, causing him to raise his hand to slap her red. She clenched her teeth waiting for another blow but it never came.

"I knew your mother before you were even born, stupid girl," he spat at her, his tyrannical brown eyes meeting hers, "We were friends in Treno, and she made my life a living hell, do you hear, a _living hell._"

He emphasized the last couple of words, pulling Lilia's hair on the top of her head as he did so. He immediately nuzzled his face into her neck, deeply breathing in her natural scent, and undressing her with his eyes seconds later.

"You look so much like her too, so curvy, soft, sexy, beautiful face…"

He took her hips in his hands and squeezed hard, Lilia groaning in pain as he kissed her neck, intermittently biting the thin skin and leaving red marks all over her. He even licked up the blood starting to drip from the wounds and whispered to her that she tasted good.

"You're a sick bastard," she whimpered, hoping she didn't end up like she did in her dream. She supposed that he had his fill over her for the evening, because he opened the barred door to one of the large dungeon cells and threw her roughly in there, but not before ripping off her cloak, the chill of the castle immersing her once more. Lilia fell hard on her hands, scraping them badly. She knew it would be more blood lost from her already weak and frail body.

"You can stay in here tonight then, you little bitch," He yelled, slamming the barred door behind her. Lilia could not hold herself up any longer and slumped to the floor entirely, her belly feeling the coolness of the stone below and on her cheek. She heard him leave the dungeon, and she started to slow her breathing down until it was faint and steady. She still had not gotten any clear answers from him, and all she knew was that he had known her mother in childhood and revered her. She couldn't even tell if he was making it up or not, but she figured he wasn't because of the signs presented to her in her dream. After all he had been her mother in her dream, and that was enough to convince her.

"_But what could he possibly want with me?" _She thought lying there, motionless, almost unable to think. Her stomach growled. She was extremely hungry and wondered when the last time she ate was. She slowly drifted into unconsciousness from there, desperately trying to quiet her stomach in the process. She was simply to beaten up to think of much of anything.

"_Hello….hello? Lilia, are you awake? Are you alright?"_

"…W-what?"

The voice was kind.

"_Lilia, wake up! I've got some food for you…I know you must be starving."_

Lilia's eyes popped open, and once again her vision was extremely blurry. She made out the outline of a figure above her, light from the outside shining behind his body.

"_Lilia!"_

"Who…who are you?" Lilia asked as her vision came into focus, and she was met with the kind, warm blue eyes of a man no older than twenty. He smiled at her, looking simply relieved that she had woken up from her sleep.

"My head hurts," Lilia said stupidly, and immediately the boy sat her up against the dungeon wall. Lilia could see light shining from a small dungeon window, something she had no seen before, when the terrible man threw her down onto the ground. She turned her head slightly to get a better idea of what this new man looked like, and it was nothing like the cruel older man that she had encountered earlier. While he had the same brown hair, the boy's was slightly shorter and fell around his eyebrows, which weren't too thick and complemented his kind eyes, which seemed a very similar color to Crystal's, expect they were much kinder. Lilia looked down and saw that he was dressed extremely similarly to the other man as well, expect her outfit varied in shades of blue.

"Do you think you could manage to eat something? I'd rather you not starve…" he said, holding a plate of chicken, rice and fresh vegetables up to her face.

"Here, I'll help you."

He grabbed a fork from one of his pockets and scooped up some rice and put it in front of her mouth. Lilia looked up into his eyes and he nodded reassuringly. She weakly opened her mouth and when the food hit her tongue, she felt so much better than before. She chewed it up and swallowed, opening up her mouth for another bite. After about a half hour of slow eating and encouragement, she was able to finish the entire plate. He then held a goblet of water up to her lips and she drank, thankfully. She smiled and felt strong enough to hold a conversation with the boy leaning on the wall next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

"Who are you? And please give me an honest answer."

She turned to look at him and he was smiling warmly again, she smiled back a bit, as much as she could muster. He seemed like a dream to her, like an angel come to rescue her from the pits of hell.

"Me? My name is Arthur. Arthur Lynch."

The name rang in her eyes and sounded oddly familiar.

"Lynch, eh? Hm," was all she could say before she had to turn away from him, realizing her foolishness at thinking he would be helping her. He was probably one of the evil man's minions.

"So you work for him?" Lilia asked flatly as she stared over into the empty, dark cell across from her own. She looked down into the entire dungeon, and there were cells in endless rows on each side of the room, from as far down as she could see. She turned her head upward and noticed chains hanging from the wall that were used to tie people to for torture. Lilia knew this and smiled a bit, remembering a story her mother told her about the old general, but then frowned when she realized she might be next. Arthur answered after a moment of silence.

"Well, yes…after all, he is my father."

Lilia's eyes widened at his prospect and turned her head over to him and quickly as her body would allow, which was not very quick at all, for her neck hurt and she still had a massive migraine. She started him in the face; her eyebrows furrowed, and thought it could not possibly be so. He had been so kind to her.

"You're…you're his son?" Lilia inquired, flabbergasted, "…but-but you can't be. You've been so kind to me."

Arthur looked down to his hands sadly and shook his head.

"I know…my father…he is truly evil but…" he stopped there and shook his head, "It is not good of me to speak ill of my father. I must not say anymore."

He turned away from her completely, but Lilia needed answers.

"Hey," she somehow sat up to ask him more, but she was still too weak, and fell into his lap, leaving him to scramble for her safety.

"Lilia, be careful!" he said, looking down to her face which lay in his lap.

"Tell me more about your father," She whispered, and he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. He smiled, but then sighed, his eyes seeming to search for something on the floor next to Lilia's head.

"I really want to but…I'm not sure I should. All I know is what he wants me to do with you."

"Tell me about that later, but right now, tell me about your father," Lilia pleaded weakly, sweating forming on her forehead though frustration that couldn't make its way out any other way. He looked into her desperate face and signed, Lilia knowing that he had resigned.

"Listen…all you need to know about my father is that…he…well…he very much dislikes your family…especially your mother…they grew up together… and he wants to do horrible things to you and your people. But that is all I can say."

Lilia took that and nodded, knowing by the look on his face that he would say no more about the subject. She was a little disturbed knowing that such a terrible person grew up with her mother in Treno. But what was the connection to her mother exactly?

"What is your father's name?" She asked.

"Archibald Lynch," he whispered, almost shamefully.

"What does he want you to do with me?"

"I'm going to try to convince you that you should…oh god, I just can't."

He buried his face in his hands and shook his head with complete woe.

"You can't what?" Lilia demanded quietly.

"I-I…don't know how I'm going to do this."

"Do what?"

"This,"

He put his warm hands on Lilia's forehead and all of a sudden she felt a flash of hot pain on her skin and a vision entered her eyes. She was wearing a black dress with a veil and walking down a long, dark aisle of a church, holding a bouquet of red roses and crying her eyes out. All around her were dark mahogany pews and above her on either side were stained glass windows depicting his face in many different fashions. At the end of the aisle is Archibald, and he is grinning in his sinister way, waiting patiently for his bride, which was seemingly Lilia, to come round. When she finally reaches him, he pulls the veil over her head hand and kisses her passionately, despite Lilia's tears and protest. It's a bloody kiss, a streak running down Lilia's face, mingling with her tears.

Arthur removes his hand.

Lilia was left hyperventilating, her almost naked body overridden with spasms as she convulsed in Arthur's lap, the poor, sad boy trying to hold her down and comfort her.

"I know, Lilia, I'm sorry. He wants me to convince you to do this. He wants you to marry him so that he can be more powerful, so he can draw your family in to your whims…so he can kill every single one of them…so he doesn't have to be so alone in his evils."

Thought Lilia heard him, she had so much trouble registering the situation. It seemed impossible. She was nearly seventeen, she couldn't get married, she had so much more ahead of her than that. She had so much more than that man, and she finally realized it after almost dying. And Zylan…she didn't want to die anymore. She didn't want to let him down anymore. She wanted to fix it all.

She continued to convulse and all Arthur could do was watch.

"Lilia…"

It was minutes before she finally stopped, her breathing still quick, her heart still racing. Arthur cupped her face in his hands and placed his forehead on hers. Lilia could not understand why he was doing what he was. They remained like this for a while, listening to the drips of water and otherwise silence of the dungeon until Lilia could finally speak again.

"I just don't understand why you are being so kind to me if this is what you must do," She whispered weakly. He looked down at her and shook his head, the kindness still written all over.

"I don't want to Lilia but I'm not sure I have a choice. My father is so very powerful."

Lilia believed him. There was no other way he would have been able to build such an empire by himself, from scratch. But she also didn't understand how he could have raised such a wonderful son.

"I cannot believe you are his son."

He chuckled a bit, though the situation was far from funny.

"Yes…neither can I."

They continued to sit in silence. Lilia's eyes roamed to the ceiling, where her eyes met the window, the dusk of day showing itself in orange light beams coming through the steel bars on the window.

"…He was right though. You are nothing short of beautiful." Arthur murmured, breaking the long silence. Lilia looked up at him, and then decided she was ready to really sit up this time. She slowly proceeded, Arthur steadying her, and she leaned on the wall next to him, staring into his eyes and taking in his words, the orange light filling her emerald eyes with glory. She finally smiled and looked down to her feet.

"Well…too bad I'm dressed completely indecently here. You might have a better first impression of me if I had been proper."

"Well this is surely good enough," he stated with honestly, and Lilia looked back at him and smiled warmly. Arthur looked as if he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh yes, I forgot…"

He reached over across the room and threw her a red cloak, and she immediately wrapped it around her bruised shoulders, relishing its amazing warmth.

"Thanks," she said with gratitude and held the cloak tightly to her skin. Arthur smiled and just remained silent, but Lilia was tired of such.

"Tell me how you did what you just did when you put your hands on my forehead," Lilia told him, eliciting a response of semi-shock from Arthur.

"I can show people potential future and definite pasts with some psychological focus on my part. It's sort of a gift I have. But I can also alter the past to become a lie and twist the future into what I want it to be. That's why my father is using me…he wants me to show you the life of grandeur that would become yours if you were to marry him, but I wanted to show you the truth. And what you saw…that was the truth."

He didn't look at all pleased about his gift as his face morphed into an expression of extreme guilt. Lilia thought the gift was nice, but she could understand why he hated it. His father used him for it.

"We all have gifts to be proud of, Arthur. It just depends on how you use them. That's what counts."

"Something your mother told you, O holy knight?" He said dryly, immediately taking it back with an apology.

"Sorry I'm just…I wish I didn't have these powers so that my father couldn't use me for evil."

"Speaking of my mother, why does your father hate her so? What did she ever do to him?"

But Arthur would not answer. He defiantly shook his head. Lilia was about to press him, but then decided not to, as he looked deeply troubled. She would have to find out later, somehow. She would have to be strong and not let her fear take over. She took a deep breath and tried to balance herself. She would have to somehow defeat this malevolent man, but she doubted herself a bit, even if her powers were awesome. She decided to ask another question, as she felt a bit angered at Arthur's obedience.

"Why don't you fight him?" Lilia asked.

"I'm not match for him. I'm not sure anyone is. He has this way of draining people's energies so that they are weaker when they try to combat him. Not only that, but he can enter people's dreams and subconciousness in order to sort of freak them out. That's his gift."

It was starting to get dark outside, and the orange beams that once illuminated the dungeon disappeared into the night. The thought of nobody being able to combat the evil man chilled Lilia, and she shivered under her cloak. Knowing that he had manipulated her in her dreams didn't help either. It was no wonder she felt so weak whenever he forcefully dragged her around the castle. She dismissed the thought, observed Arthur's shamed face and smiled.

"Well you didn't follow his example. You use yours wisely"

Arthur looked over at her and grinned, nodding his head in agreement.

"I suppose I didn't…" he trailed off, but suddenly looking like he was in need of a bit of an adventure to get his mind off of his inner turmoil.

"It's not the only power I have you know," he decided to add, raising his eyebrows to bait her suspense.

Lilia cocked her head in curiosity, and he just stared into her beautiful, confused face, laughing.

"What?"

"Oh it's nothing," Arthur said, shaking his head, not rendering what was truly on his mind.

"No, no, tell me," Lilia insisted playfully, encouraging him to tell. At first he just smiled and grabbed a spot on his chest where his heart would be in merriment, raising his own suddenly joyful face to the sky. He at last decided to give her an answer.

"Let's temporarily leave this dungeon then, shall we?" he insisted. Lilia nodded her head in excitement as she crawled over to her and drew himself ever so close to her face. She could take in all his features in great detail; his small mouth and small nose, contrasting with his big, gorgeous blue eyes and skin that fell on the same color as hers. His breath even smelled okay for a boy raised by an evil man. He flashed his pearly whites at her and she returned the favor, and all at once a he placed one of his hands on her chest, and one on his own, and a light formed between them, the air in the dungeon rising to strong winds blowing all around them, seeming to produce sparkles that danced all around them. The only sight Lilia cared for was this precious twenty-year old's face despite the lovely little light show going on around them. Before she knew it, they were transported into a completely different world, one Lilia had never dreamed existed. It was the most wonderful experience of her life.

**And she placed all her life's weight into his hands.**

daggertrepe: Again, soooo so sorry for taking so long to update…if this chapter seems a bit dodgy on the facts, don't worry, you'll know more later. Stay tuned, for I promise there is more to come (and won't take another year to get back to!)


	10. In Preparation for the War

Daggertrepe: ok, cool Zidane and Garnet fluff in this chapter, amongst so much other stuff, so enjoy!

* * *

"Exactly how many times are we going to go through this, Adelbert?"

Beatrix was buttoning up her white duster, throwing Steiner a disapproving glance, eliciting a spark of rage from her husband. It was early morning in Alexandria, and the soft light of the dawn leaked through the only window in their room, illuminating the off white walls and bed to, giving the whole entire room a dream-like quality. Beatrix had felt like much of her life had become a lot like a dream, except it was more or less like a terrible, emotionally draining nightmare that she had absolutely no way of escaping. She walked slowly over to the mirror in their room and picked up her hairbrush hesitantly, as she was instantly reminded of brushing Lilia's hair. Steiner could see her look of great despair through the mirror, and she realized this, shaking her head quickly and proceeding to run the brush through her curly hair. She had looked extremely sick with dark circles under her eyes defining her lack of sleep, which also contributed to the sharpening of the wrinkles all over her face. She did not glow radiantly like she usually did and behaved extremely cross with everyone in her path, not carrying out her usual manners.

"I'm not sure if that is the answer to our dilemma. Putting Felicia in charge of the army as second-in-command is quite the risky choice…you never know what the silly girl will do as she does not carry out order very-

"And I suppose you have a better idea?" Beatrix snapped, not looking at him through the mirror.

"Yes, I think you should put a more responsible girl in charge of your troops, Beatrix!" Steiner bellowed, red faced and clearly impatient with her.

"Felicia is an better soldier than anyone in the army, save Lilia, Adelbert. The formation I have created for the army is perfect as it can be for the situation that has been bestowed upon us. And if I'm not mistaken it is entirely on your accountability that Lilia is not with us right now so if you'll excuse me I have other important affairs to attend to."

Beatrix set down her hairbrush with a loud bang and roughly moved away from the mirror wardrobe towards the door and was about to reach for the handle when Steiner grabbed her arm to prevent her from doing so. Beatrix turned to him swiftly and looked into his dark, passionate eyes. They were filled with anger but she could also sense his fear. He was looking straight into her soul through her own brown eyes and scowled at her persistence to get back inside her head.

"Let go of me," Beatrix whispered dangerously.

"Not until you speak with me so we can sort this out."

"There is nothing to sort out. Let me free."

"There is plenty for us to say to each other Beatrix. I will not let our marriage die because of this."

Beatrix could see just how much he meant it, just how much he wanted to save their relationship and how he still loved her in the deepest way. His hand was shaking while he held her in his grip, his scowl moving south and his eyes pleading with her. It was the same feeling for Beatrix but she could not move past what Steiner had done to Lilia. Saving their marriage was her last concern while Lilia's life was in danger, or possibly already gone.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to publicly humiliate our daughter. Almost seventeen years old. How could you be so sick and heartless?" Beatrix retorted, snapping her arm away from his weakening grasp and finally exiting the room coldly. Steiner was left there, considering his options, shaking with anger, fear and sadness. He realized what he had done was wrong, but he was simply doing it for Lilia's own good. He was trying to teach her a lesson and did not expect her to pack up and run away. He knew she was of volatile temperament, much like himself.

"That should have stopped me," he thought, placing his hands on his head, shaking it from side to side, "I should have known she would have reacted just like her mother. Just like me."

The only thing he could manage to do was stand there with his head in his hands. After a while his shame subsided, and she decided to sit on the windowsill and look out the window for a bit before the queen decided to make her speech and the next day of intense training would begin. His armor clanked softly as he sat on the marble sill. He moved away the pink curtain with his hand and looked far down into the training grounds below. He could smell the spring breeze filling his nose and encumbering all his senses. He felt the breeze wash over his face and tried breathing it in and out deeply, as to relieve his stress, at least temporarily. Spring meant life, and Steiner so dearly wanted some sort of renewal, an escape from his terrible fate. As his eyes were shut peacefully, an image of his young, beautiful child filled his mind. A white light shined behind her, blinding him from everything else besides her rosy cheeks and green eyes, and that unmistakably beautiful smile of her, radiating right through every bone in his body.

It was only then that he realized how much he really missed her.

His eyes shot open and he immediately searched the ground below for some sense, as he could make none on his. Devastated, he could have sworn he saw his wife and daughter playing together in the grass, Beatrix swinging the young brown haired toddler on her hip, throwing her and catching her through an air filled with cherry blossom petals from the pink trees. Both of their eyes twinkled in the light of the morning as she landed in her mother's waiting arms, their laughing filling the empty spaces where the wind left off and inside his heart.

He knew Beatrix was right. He had made a terrible mistake. He wanted nothing more than for them to be a family again. With a father's agony, he closed his eyes once more and threw a hand over his rather large scowl and let out a small, baritone squeal, and all at once he broke down in sobs. It was rare that Steiner cried, for he did not want to be perceived as weak as the captain of the Alexandrian army, and he knew that if anyone caught him it would be humiliating, but it seemed he had no choice, because all the emotions he was feeling overwhelmed him, and his body would not allow him to do much else. The sobs filled the silent room and it came into a sad life, Steiner realizing just how dead it really was. Something in his life was dying, and he wanted so very badly for it to stay alive. But if just seemed like he could not stop disaster from falling, just as he could not stop his own tears from hitting the red carpet, or the broken sobs of a grown man echoing throughout a room filled with too many memories.

* * *

Garnet smoothed out the wrinkles on her lacy, long white dress before she looked up at her husband, King Zidane. He took a couple steps over to her and placed a hand on her soft, youthful face. He smiled reassuringly at her, and she placed her own hand on top of his warm one.

"I look fit to address my people, do I not?" Garnet asked him, searching his warm blue yes.

"You always look fit to address a crowd, baby," he consoled, dropping a hand from her face and into his pocket. He was quite the informal monarch and never wore robes of a lord. He much preferred his jeans and vest. Alexandria was untraditional in the way it ruled and who ruled it. It was much of a constitutional monarchy when Garnet became queen, deciding that the people should have a say in how the kingdom was run, even if the decisions had to be passed through her and Zidane. The two of them, however, made just rulers and everyone seemed to enjoy the job they were doing for their country. It is how they lasted so long as king and queen.

"I must admit, I haven't been this nervous since I was first crowned over twenty years ago," she added, turning from him and staring at the door leading to her balcony where her people await, "I can't believe all of this terrible business. We have been peaceful for song long…"

She fell silent. Zidane knew where she was getting at and shook his head.

"It's not your fault Lilia's gone. I'm not sure it's anyone's fault. The girl decided to leave on her own accord. There isn't much we can do."

"But she was like family," Garnet said in a hushed and painful voice, clutching her heart, "Beatrix and Steiner are devastated. So many people are. Even Zylan and Crystal. You can feel it throughout the air, a great sorrow overcoming out kingdom. Without Lilia's joy, love, pride, and radiance…I'm not sure how we're going to get through this."

She turned around quickly and began to pace the room, an action she always too whenever she was beyond anxious.

"It's just all terribly wrong, and you know Crystal and Zylan will want to be involved, and we have to bring in Lindblumese troops to help us out and-

"Wait, you didn't tell me we're bringing in Eiko's troops to help us! Need we cause another world war over this, Dagger?"

"Zidane, his army his huge. I don't know how he got it to be that side or what exactly he's after but obviously it has something to do with us. We need to backup. Eiko is plenty willing to be at our service-

"I just can't believe you're going to let it escalate to this. We have more than enough power stored in this army with just the few chosen ones alone...hell, even I can fight! It's just so-

"Our future General might be dead, Zidane." Garnet said calming, making Zidane stop thrashing his arms about. He paused for a moment, closed his eyes and took a breath

"I know, Dag."

"And that is why we must fight with everything we have. You cannot argue that she wasn't worth the world to this kingdom and the people in it," she told him in her still, hushed voice. Zidane shook his head and didn't argue any further.

"I trust your judgment, dear. I just hope this doesn't cause more trouble than it's worth. When exactly is Eiko coming with her army?"

"Two days She'll be here in two days at dawn. Her troops will train with Beatrix's."

"Beatrix," Zidane stated, "she's a fireball right now."

"And Steiner is a mess. He's just so distraught over what happened."

Zidane kicked the air and shook his head.

"Maybe if he hadn't of humiliated her. I know it's against Alexandrian law, what she did, but still…who cares? Let her love him! He doesn't have to be king. I always said that. I don't know why everyone's pushing him to do something he doesn't want to do. Laws need changed."

Garnet just looked down to the floor sadly.

"I do agree…it's just that I guess I wanted everything to be perfect…traditional. He would have been such a kind ruler, so fair, and bright," Garnet smiled as she insisted to Zidane, a sorrowful twinkle in her brown eyes, soon disappearing behind hopelessness, "…but I suppose he doesn't want such. I just wanted to make mother proud. I didn't want to have to change the rules. I didn't…I still don't want to disgrace her. I know she wouldn't approve any of this."

Zidane knew it was a sensitive topic, but he couldn't keep back his opinion.

"Dagger…your mother is dead. She's been gone for years. Times are changing…I'm sure she'd understand if you changed laws to fit the times…to fit your son's happiness."

Garnet waved him off.

"Yes, maybe she would. But it's just so hard."

All of a sudden, Zidane leaned against the golden wallpaper and smirked. Garnet took sight of him and asked why he was smiling.

"You do know our Crystal would die to be queen. She has always wanted to rule. It has been a dream of hers. She looks up to you so much, baby."

Garnet nodded, but she still had a look of concern upon her face.

"Yes, but Zidane she is just so incredibly…immature in so many ways. Still quite stubborn, still quite selfish…she has much to learn before she can be queen."

"Well she's our best hope. Zylan won't be the best ruler either if his heart isn't in it. His heart is in other, bigger places."

Garnet looked at the glorious expression on Zidane face and she laughed. He had a way of doing that. He waltzed up to her with face and cupped her face in his hands before sharing a playful, loving kiss.

"Everything is going to be fine. We have faced much worse than this," Zidane added after they finished their kiss. Garnet smiled weakly and closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against Zidane's chin.

"Maybe we're being selfish by dethroning ourselves early. I know you want to see the world a bit more. I know you want to travel. I know this professional life is killing you even more than it would kill Zylan, but…I just don't know if _I'm _ready to retire from this. Maybe…maybe my nation still needs me. At a time like this…they certainly do."

She opened her eyes hopefully, searching her husband for a response. He looked at her as he always had, the sunlight from the window sparkling in his blue eyes.

"I've said if before and I'll say it again…you need to do what's right for you, Dagger. Not what s right for everyone else. That remains."

And with that he kissed her again, and they both walked out of the doors on the balcony, hand in hand.

* * *

Zidane and Garnet walked hand in hand to the edge of the balcony where a large crowd stood waiting. People of all sorts gathered around to hear the queen's speech, to hear the terrible news they had been dreading for a long time. It was finally time for the nation to go back to war, and they all knew it. Anxiously they all waited, moving around in place and whispering to each other as Garnet stood before them, looking over them with great sorrow written all over her face. A horrible frown plastered her face, which made the peasants and middle class folk of Alexandria groan. They didn't enjoy seeing their beloved, wonderful, kind and generous queen in such a state. Garnet hated what she was about to do but did not see any choice. Before deciding to speak, she looked down at her clenched hands and bit her bottom lip nervously, a habit she had not been able to rid herself of since she was sixteen. She glanced over at Zidane, who gave her a nod of approval, and nodding back, she let go of his and stepped forward, placing her hand on the stone railing. She took a second to let her eyes roam over the colorful people before she spoke. When she did, her sweet, high voice rang out through the masses.

"People of Alexandria…I have had you assembled here today in the royal court of the country to address an issue that has ben plaguing us for a short while now…and while it has only been a small amount of time, it makes the threat no less serious or deadly to our people."

She heard a great gasp escape the crowd as chattering ensued.

"…However, we have no reason to fear this enemy any more than our past ones. While it is true that we will be going to war with this kingdom, we no doubt have the right people on our side. General Beatrix and Captain Steiner of our Alexandrian army will be leading in the assault and we will accept gracious military help from Queen Eiko Carol Fabool Carrey of the grand country of Lindblum, and as we join forces we are sure to be unstoppable."

The crowd changed their tune and began to cheer. The queen smiled, raising her hands flat and lower then slowly to silence the people.

"It will be a time to mourn losses and the peace of our country. Soldiers will die in this battle, and as it greatly guts me to say, many lives may be lost. But that does not mean we will not take pride in our stance-we, the country of Alexandria, will fight to the finish and bring home peace once more…on my honor, on my name, Garnet til Alexandros XVII, that this battle will do not but honor our country to the fullest, and we will come back victorious."

The people all exploded into wild cheers at this point and Garnet bowed smiling, this time waiting for them to finish.

"I do ask that everyone please stay in their houses as much as possible for the next few weeks and to report any suspicious activity to the Knights of Pluto. There will be many knights on patrol every night to make sure the town is at full safety. I thank you all for your time and wish you a good night."

And with that, she took Zidane's hand again and exited her balcony, proud that she had inspired her people once more.

* * *

Beatrix was standing before her own crowd in the training grounds. The entre Alexandrian Army was lined up in the grasses, the Knights of Pluto split into their unit and the female Alexandrian soldiers on the other half of the grounds. Beatrix enjoyed pacing before her silent crowd to keep them guessing what she'll say-it gave her power over them to keep them waiting for her words and staring each one of them down meanly. The condition of the weather seemed to help her case as well, as it was a dark and cloudy mid-day, looking almost as if it were about to rain. The trees in the distance were whistling with the heavy, warm winds and Beatrix's hair did much of the same, little strands breaking from her heavy curls and flying every which way. She didn't mind, as her mission was more important than the way she looked. Standing behind her, face cold as stone was Steiner. He didn't look at her but simply looked ahead to the skies near the Dark Kingdom, and Beatrix looked back at him for a moment and frowned, knowing that he was thinking of Lilia. She had no choice but to dismiss Lilia from her mind and keep stomping the grass below her feet, arms behind her back. Once she was ready to speak, her loud, booming alto voice shocked the solider and made them jump.

"You all know what must be done in these next few weeks, even if you have never truly fought in a war before," Beatrix started, continuing to pace as she spoke, "This is not the worst I have seen and it may not be the worst you will see. I have fought in a few wars and have killed many men. It is no time to fear your enemy but it is especially no time to doubt your own powers. You must be prepared to fell many men in your duties and face the consequences of your actions…but this is why we are there today. I will prompt and prime my soldiers for war, and as they are the finest in the land it is not an option to lose against the filth-

She cocked her head toward the Dark Kingdom for a moment.

-that lies just beyond the terrain. Their number in army is high, however, we are recruiting help from Lindblum and will be training with their army. It is important to treat the soldiers with the utmost respect of an Alexandrian but show them little of no mercy when battling. That is the way of my knights. Captain Steiner will be guiding his own troop as I oversee my own, and you will have little time for rest and leisure. You will get breaks to eat and sleep but otherwise it is a time for intense training. We are not certain how they are armed but we fear they may be magic based. So I will be teaching everyone defense moves and spells as well as counter attacks for when the opponent is unsuspecting."

Beatrix paused and remembered an important thing to tell her army.

"And…yes…about the loss of our second-in-command…"

She looked over at Felicia and nodded, who was standing in the front row.

"Felicia will be taking over that position as of today. You know I dislike speeches, so let's all just get to work. Keep your mission in mind."

"FOR ALEXANDRIA!" The army chanted while holding up their swords, Beatrix nodding with them. They all scattered to train. Steiner clanked after them, not bothering to look at Beatrix before he ran away. She looked after him, though, and sighed, thinking of the many messes they had made together in their lives. She bit her tongue and followed him into the crowd of soldiers. Training commenced, Beatrix teaching her soldiers new techniques and knocking them all to the ground many bloody times, trying not to be distracted by other matters such as Steiner or Lilia. Her main focus was the battle, and she was able to channel her energy into such things. She noticed Steiner was having a rather hard time, however, as he was severely distracted. Beatrix thought she might propose to him some comfort, but ultimately decided against it considering how she had been treating him every night before bed. He tried so very hard to repair their broken relationship, but for whatever reason Beatrix couldn't let him in, and it was affecting him in every way. She knew that she was his only rock, his only support system, for he couldn't burden the queen with his problems, so he let it boil inside. For this Beatrix felt rotten to the core but alas, she was used to feeling such. She just allowed herself to let it out in battle, and her soldiers noticed, as she was being especially cruel to them in the rounds.

* * *

Zylan and Crystal sat on a hill on the outskirts of Alexandria, watching the sunset, their weapons with them in case a monster tried to disrupt them. It was something they rarely took part in, spending time with one another so intimately. This time, however, it was important that they did such in order to work through what exactly had happened with Lilia, what caused her to run, and what exactly happened to her plan. No doubt they were both beyond disappointed at how things worked out, but what was more important to them was the safety of their friend, whom they couldn't be entirely sure was even alive. Zylan laid on his back while Crystal curled around her knees, making a terribly pouty face, which wasn't unusual for her, but this time her sadness was real and not at all an act.

"I shouldn't have pushed her to do this Zylan. It was so selfish of me to want to take the crown at her expense…I mean I knew this wasn't going to be easy but honestly Zylan, I didn't think it'd hurt anyone, and I especially didn't think Steiner would do what he did, I mean that was just uncalled for…I just did not think-

"Of course you didn't think," Zylan stated, relaxed with his eyes closed and his hands behind his head.

"Hey! Don't act like you weren't a part of this plan too, Mr. Smartass. You got her in trouble as much as I did, what with enraging her with your playboy antics!"

"I hope you're not referring to Clare."

"Well of course I am. I don't know how you could do that to her, what with leading her on, making her believe you loved her only to drop her and the plan along with it!"

"I didn't pretend about anything!" Zylan shouted, sitting up ad staring at her, red-faced, "I followed my heart and my feelings. You act like…you act like I wanted to lose her!"

"You could have fooled me," Crystal snapped in her chirpy voice.

"How could you accuse me of something like that? I love Lilia! I will always love Lilia but I fell in love with Clare too, it just happened, I couldn't help it. What was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to be with Lilia, your childhood friend and love, the girl what was the most loyal to you and would have done anything for you, Zylan!" She squeaked, exasperated, "Ugh, if only you could have heard our conversations!"

"I don't want to hear about them."

"Well maybe they would make you think!"

"I already am thinking! This really does haunt me, I'll have you know!"

"Well probably not enough!"

"Shut the fuck up, Crystal, you're such a stupid bitch."

Crystal closed her angry mouth and looked at him quizzically, a scowl on her face. It was obvious how hurt her really was, and it looked like she might burst into tears. Zylan rolled his eyes and held out his hand to console her.

"Oh my god Crystal, I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean that, oh god, just please don't cry."

Crystal turned away from him and shook her head, placing her head back onto her knees. Her sapphire eyes drifted up slowly to the sunset.

"No…you're right. I am a bitch. I should probably learn to grow up. The world doesn't revolve around me. I guess I always believed that it did…but I can't act that way anymore. I'm not fit to be a queen, acting like an immature little brat. It's only right that everything failed me…I was such a stupid girl. And I lost a friend over it. I wish I would have never talked her into this in the first place."

Zylan threw his tongue into his cheek and stared back over at the sunset himself, closing his eyes.

"Don't blame this all on yourself…because I think everyone had a part in this. We all made a terrible mistake, trying to change the rules. We should have known that we couldn't. We shouldn't have even tried. Years and years of tradition…why did we think we could just throw it all away?"

"Maybe because it should be done. The rules are so outdated and unfair."

"Doesn't mean anything," Zylan said, taking a deep breath, "We have to follow what we know…what they know."

They were both silent for a while, taking in everything that had been exchanged between them.

"I was a stupid idea…just so stupid. I'm ashamed."

"Well imagine how Lilia feels," Zylan pointed out, eliciting a response from Crystal. She looked a bit sick after he said it, and she proceeded to hold her stomach.

"She must have been terribly humiliated. I can't even imagine."

"Why do you think she ran?" Zylan reminisced. Crystal shrugged.

"I'm not sure. But you know how rebellious she is. She doesn't like to be controlled and she certainly doesn't like any type of authority, or to be pushed around, or to be made to look like a fool," she pointed out, knowing Lilia all too well.

"Well she did inherit traits of both of her parents, the deadliest of combinations in many ways. She's quite the crazy girl. But you know, I loved that. And I miss that. It's not the same without her."

"You did really love her?" Crystal asked quietly, glancing down at her feet, not wanting to meet his eyes. She would have hated to make Lila believe such if it weren't true. Zylan stayed quiet for a moment.

"…Yes. I really did. But I guess it just wasn't enough to last."

Crystal was relieved to hear it, but sad at the same time.

"I feel really sorry for her…everything we did…everything that happened…there must be something we can do to make it up to her in some way."

Zylan turned his head to his sister and smiled, looking into her wondering eyes, and chuckled lightly.

"This is no laughing matter, Zylan, honestly-

"No, no, I'm laughing because you should already know what we have to do, Crystal!"

He stood up quickly and placed his hands on her hips triumphantly, before drawing out his daggers and placing himself in a fighting stance, Crystal staring up at him, her eyes wide with wonder.

"We have to go into the battle! We have to fight for Lilia, whether it be to save her or in her memory! We go alongside the army and we do this for her!"

He turned his body towards the sun and took a swipe at the air, pretending it was a target. He did this a couple times, adding in his fighting flair in between, afterwards smiling over at his sister one more, who was still sitting on the ground.

"Well are you with me or not?"

Crystal thought for moment, and then stood up, grabbing her staff with one hand and clutching it with the other as she got to her feet. Her face was one of simple indifference, and then turned defiant, ready for a fight. She grinned, kicking off her heels and moving her feet into a fighting stance.

"So then, we gonna start training or what?"

Zylan smirked along with her and took the first swipe as she casted her first summon at him, dodging him as the white bearded god of lighting floated down to take Zylan on, in a roar of dark skies and rumbling thunder.

* * *

Now that rounds were over for a short time, Beatrix took the time to grab some water from the well and took a hearty drink from her cupped hands. Training had been so intense the past few days that she barely had any time to rest, let alone think about anything. Beatrix had agreed to let the solders off for the rest of the night since they had been working so fervently. Most of them wanted to go into town to visit their families or have a bit of fun before resting, since they knew it might be their last, and Beatrix admitted to herself that they needed at least that, and that it would be too cruel not to let some of them enjoy their last moments on Gaia. Tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow would be non-stop training until invasion. Beatrix signed and slumped down on the grass, her back to the well. She pulled some grass out of its roots and it reminded her a lot of herself-plucked up by the root and thrown to the side, placed into unnatural circumstances. That had been much of her childhood, just being forced to be a certain way or do certain things that didn't sit right with her. She didn't want Lilia to feel trapped like she had and that was why she agreed to letting her become a knight, even though she very much wanted her to have a normal, war-free life, somehow. Yet she still ran away, just like her mother. It was the rebellious streak in her, the same one Beatrix had when she was seventeen and carried throughout her adult years. It was that same fire that had propelled her to the status she kept, it was the fire that kept her fighting. She thought it pointless to try and imagine what could have been if Lilia had tried to be a normal dame in the country. In fact, she couldn't picture her as such, what with her being so boyish in her youth and headstrong. She was a lot like her father in that she was stubborn, as well. All the makings of a good knight. That didn't make it okay that she might have been dying, or already dead. Every moment brought Lilia back to her even stronger, every moment brought her every feature and quirk back to her mind, and because of this it became increasingly harder to forgive Steiner for what he had done. And in his own way he was like Beatrix's own father, which she didn't want to think about, so she turned her head upwards and looked towards the sky. The coral color of the clouds was due to the orange sunset, and the whole of Alexandria gave off such a glow, which radiated magnificence. Beatrix stood up from the well and looked towards the horizon, wondering what Lilia was doing if she were alive, or where she could possibly be. Right then, a pang in her gut told her Lilia wasn't dead, but in danger. A look of worry overcame her face and she grasped her heart, joyed that Lilia might still be alive but hurt because of the immense danger she sensed.

"_Well standing around and feeling sorry is not going to fix the problem,"_ Beatrix thought to herself, quite literally shaking off the feeling. She attempted to walk over to the training grounds but then realized she allowed the soldiers off for the rest of the night. Slowing down, she put her hands to her hips to think.

"_I…I really don't know what to do now. I can't just sit here and ruminate…no, that won't do any good. I could try and find Steiner but he probably doesn't want to speak to me as of now…I probably upset him too badly and it's too hard to explain my thoughts and feelings…so much for a solid marriage."_

She shook her head in sorrow and wished she could convey her emotions easier. It had always been difficult for her to convey her emotions to be truly intimate, but she had always found a way with Steiner and it kept their marriage alive through the rough patches. He knew most everything about her but something was holding her back anyway. This time, for some reason, she just felt she couldn't share her feelings with him. She supposed part of t had to do with anger and the sudden level of mistrust, but there was nothing she could do to make it happen. At least not at the moment, so with that, she took herself into the castle to wander around for lack of a better thing to do. She thought she might admire the architecture like she used to do in awe when she was much younger, and as she entered the castle to do just that, but she found herself unable to stop walking. Her mind was racing endlessly and she found it impossible to stay still and concentrate on much of anything. She intensely hated feeling as such, and as she walked up the grand staircase she felt an urge to go down the hall to the left and go towards the hall with the bedrooms. The way was dark as the candles had no been lit in the all yet, and she thought maybe she would go to her room and take early rest, when she stumbled upon a door that was cracked open slightly. For some reason she was drawn to the room, and she couldn't remember ever going in there. She always had more important things to do then explore the castle. Looking both ways down the hall, she turned towards the room and places her hand on the door, opening it just enough to peak inside. The room was dark, save the small amount of light coming through the window across from her, but she could make out that the room had a green tone to it, with green walls and dark glazed oak drawers, complete with a bureau and a large round mirror on the wall above one of the sets of drawers. To her left there was a full sized bed with green covering and sheets, and the floors were of the same wood as the furniture set. It was quite a beautiful room, but a small one, and Beatrix guessed it was merely a guest room that was rarely, if ever used. But that wasn't what truly startled her about the room-she noticed a piano to the right of the window, in the corner of the room. From where she was standing she could make out that it was quite dusty, assuming that it probably had not been used in years. She couldn't help but entering the room after looking down both sides of the hall again to make sure no one was coming. The door creaked as she entered and she turned behind herself to place it back to the way it was before she decided to go in. Her footsteps tapped lightly on the wood as she walked over, her heart pounding. She stood and started at it longingly before sitting down and opening the dusty, dirty wooden cover. She knew someone might hear her if she played, but it had been such a long time and no one seemed to be around at the moment. When the keys were revealed, she ran her fingers over the smooth white surface of the keys, and instantly she was brought back to her childhood. Nobody in Alexandria knew she was musically inclined in the slightest, let alone was able to play the piano quite well. She could also sing, but found that her voice was not nearly as light and pleasant as the queen's, but rather quite low and dark. Beatrix tried to remember a song she used to play and sing in her childhood as she looked out the window next to her, and as she did so, many memories washed back to her in waves, many painful, some good. At last she remembered a song that she used to be very fond of as a child.

"_Hmm…let's see how rusty my skills are…"_

She found the right keys to the song and played the first chord, eyes rolling back into her head. The sound was so wonderful and magical and nostalgic. For a moment she was in bliss, and she went onto the next couple of notes, her brain rewiring to what she used to do, remembering all the notes perfectly. On and on she played, the dark yet beautiful melody floating through the air and coloring it with her music, until she found the exact words she was looking for in the lyrics:

_I was once strong as a horse_

_And free as one too_

_During the night I would run away_

_And fly towards the moon_

_I was once as lovely as a swan_

_Like one I would swim_

_With the sun upon my back_

_And the world on my shoulders_

_I was once small like a bird_

_But never weak as such_

_I can sing a song with the rest_

_I can sing it with the very best_

Beatrix surprised herself when she stopped, salty tears falling to the keys in between her fingers. She bowed her head and leaned into the piano, cheeks stained with tears, shielding her eyes from the light left in the room, which made her tears glisten. She had remembered why it was her favorite song, and realized it didn't quite apply to her anymore, but reminded her too much of her young self, the girl who wasn't exactly free but felt as such at grand times and thought she would once have the whole world to herself. She couldn't help but trace this back to Lilia, who she suddenly connected with her young self, realizing just how much they were alike. But all the dreams Lilia could have had if she weren't a knight didn't exist anymore. She had chosen her path and that was the way she was going to spend her life, if she had any left. She would have no chance at a normal and proper, peaceful life like she deserved, like Beatrix herself had once desired. She covered her mouth to silent her sobs, which would otherwise carry through the room. It was at this moment that she realized the same thing had happened to Lilia as it had happened to her when she was young. The same betrayal, the same crushing of the dreams. It all hit her at once, and her next thoughts were blank. All she could do was sob silently in her discovery, leaning on the castle piano for support, tears drenching the keys with every drop. Her cries were full of pain and agony of years of keeping her trauma inside to herself, something she finally wished she had truly come to terms with. And she was not only crying for herself, but she was crying for the broken dreams of her very own daughter, who she loved more than she could ever say. Beatrix continued to sob for a while, unaware that someone was listening in.

Behind the door Steiner was listening to her sobs, deeply and painfully wishing he could bring himself to go in and weep with her.

* * *

Daggertrepe: Ok, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I ask that you PLEASE REVIEW with feedback for the story, negative or positive, I don't really care. If I don't get reviews, I don't know what you all think, and I makes it hard to continue the story! _**So please review!**_


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